Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story
by WaivernRiver
Summary: This is a side story that took place in the 2nd Branch involving the battles that they had to go through while Tokyo-03 was having their own battles. The story only has original characters as the main focus but it does have a strong connection to quite a few characters from the original NGE. Rating can be considered as either T or M. Enjoy. -Thank you all for reading-
1. Episode 1

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

First off, I would like to say that I didn't come up with this entire story-line. I took a little bit from another writer who never finished his story and I liked his idea. This story involves the 2nd Branch of NERV, which is located in Nevada and it's about their experience with other Angels that never attacked Tokyo-03. I decided to do this so I can show an alternate story-line that occurred in Neon Genesis Evangelion and for people to enjoy themselves as they read it. This will be linked to the original series and some things from the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. I'm not sure how many episodes I'm going to make (Yes, I said episodes, no chapters here people *Laughs*), but I assure you that I will do my best to make it a good length. I will admit it right now that I'm not a great writer like other fan-fiction writers and I'm nowhere close to the greatness of the creator of Evangelion. I'm pretty much no one special, but sometimes I just like writing to kill time and I hope you all appreciate my attempt of entertaining you. By the way, I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion, but I would love to work with the people who created it and that are a part of it.

Episode 1: The World We Live In

It's currently pass one in the morning and a young girl is sleeping on a bed while in a dark room. Then her cellular rings and she reaches for the dresser that she has left her phone on top of. She looks at the phone and answers it while sounding quite annoyed from being woken up so early.

"Do you know what time it is?" The girl says with an irritated tone.

"Uhhh...sorry, Rivka." The male voice says while sounding a bit hesitant. "But we need you here...right away!" he says that last part with some seriousness.

"But why?" Rivka whines while sitting up as she puts her phone to her right ear. "It's almost freaking 1:30 in the freaking morning! Can't it wait?"

"No, Rivka. It can't wait because it's a very serious matter and everyone has to be here. Even Major Valqua is already here." The male voice answers while still having a serious tone.

Rivka's still annoyed while getting up and she stands right next to her bed while yelling. "Oh, alright!" She then puts her right hand on her hip "But this better be good or I'll make you all regret it!" She then hangs up the phone and tosses it on her bed. She then stomps on the floor with her right foot due to the anger she's feeling and she just looks at the phone. "Damn it! I can't believe I have to get up so early!"

After saying that, Rivka pauses for a moment and suddenly realizes something while making a shocked expression. "Oh crap! It's a school night!" She closes her eyes as she grabs her head with both hands and screams while gesturing her head up, "I hate this!" The blond-haired girl then calms herself for a moment and regains her composure with her hands now down. After doing that, Rivka turns around and walks to her closet as she looks inside it. "And the worst part is that I don't know what to wear!" she yells again and continues to rummage through her closet.

Rivka quickly gets dressed and heads out to headquarters while still in a bad mood. Meanwhile, at the 2nd Branch, which is located in the center of Carson City, a conversation between 3 men and 2 women is being held in what seems to be the office of the Commander. Carson City is the capital of Nevada, which is located in the Mojave Desert. Also, some of the members of the 2nd Branch are German and have been transferred from the 3rd Branch to either help out or take over the commanding positions, which includes Rivka who's also German. They are all wearing uniforms that are similar to the ones that NERV has, but being the color grey instead of beige. *I will explain this more in the end of the episode*

Male # 1 *Known as Captain Russell* gazes at the lady that's sitting at the only desk in the room, which is about a few feet away from him. "Well Commander Skylark, how do you think we should break this to Rivka? She seemed a little pissed off," he says that last part while crossing his arms.

Male # 2 *Known as Major Valqua* laughs a little with his eyes on Capt. Russell as he's to the right of him and then shrugs. "What did you expect? That she would be happy that we woke her up so late?" He laughs again while shaking his head. "That's very unlikely."

Female # 1 *Known as Commander Skylark* is sitting at her desk with her hands locked together and under her chin while focused on Capt. Russell. "Well... Did you tell her that it's of great importance that she's present, Captain Russell?"

Capt. Russell hesitates for a moment and then nods. "Ummm... Yes, Commander. I did tell her that."

Maj. Valqua smiles at him with his head slightly tilted to the left. "Then you shouldn't be so nervous, should you?"

Female # 2 *Known as Lieutenant Mina* raises her left hand in a hesitant manner while standing to the left of Capt. Russell. "Excuse me? Can we start with the meeting already?"

Male# 3 *Known as Sub-Commander Norwood* is standing to the right of the Commander with a curious look on his face due to the question he just heard and responds. "What's your rush, Lieutenant? Are you that eager to go back home to sleep?" He smiles slightly

Lt. Mina stutters as she shakes her head frantically from embarrassment. "Oh uhhh... No, sir! I was just wondering, that's all!"

Sub-Commander Norwood keeps smiling and nods while displaying an understanding demeanor. "Be patient. We need to wait for Rivka and Doctor Florence to arrive. Is that alright?"

Before Lt. Mina was able to reply, the door opens and then entered Doctor Florence with Rivka on his right. It can be noted that Rivka's still very tired, considering that her clothes obviously didn't match while she was yawning with her left hand over her mouth.

Maj. Valqua looks at both of them while standing sideways with his right foot towards the pair and smiles specifically at Rivka. "Well, well... It's nice for you to join us, Rivka." He turns his attention to Dr. Florence. "Thanks for waiting for her, Dr. Florence."

Dr. Florence smiles back at him while stopping to the left of Maj. Valqua as Rivka now stands between the Major and Captain. "No problem, Jerry. What are friends for?" The Doctor then chuckles a little.

While Commander Skylark contentedly smiles, she gets to her feet to show the seriousness of what she's going to say, and at that moment, everyone looks at her. "Well... Now that everybody is present..." She closes her eyes momentarily with her head down and then lifts up her head to focus on everyone with a serious expression. "It's time to get down to business. That way everyone can go home."

Rivka smiles due to liking what she hears and firmly nods. "Good! I'm dying to go back to sleep soon! Anyway, Why couldn't it have waited though?" she says that last part with curiosity taking over.

Commander Skylark sighs while turning her gaze away for a moment and then looks directly at Rivka. "Because Rivka, by the time tomorrow would have come and you had finished with school for the day, I wouldn't have much time to explain our current situation."

Capt. Russell has a concerned expression as he puts both hands in his pockets. "Which is?"

Commander Skylark looks down and sighs. Then, she looks up at everyone again while saying with a bit of sadness in her voice, "I just received news that starting tomorrow, we will be prepping up Eva Unit 05 for battle."

Due to Commander Skylark's words, the others are all in shock while looking at each other for a moment.

Lt. Mina shows a lot of worry as she takes a step towards the Commander. "Why? There's no reason to prep up the Eva, right? All the Angels should be focusing on Tokyo-03, right?"

Commander Skylark is still looking at all of them and then clears her throat to start speaking again. "That's where you're wrong, Lieutenant. I have received information that an angel is heading this way."

Maj. Valqua smirks while folding his arms with his head cocked to the right. "Isn't that interesting? I was starting to think that we might have to send Rivka to Japan to fight, just like Berlin sent the 2nd Child. So, how long do we have until the angel arrives?"

Commander Skylark sighs, quickly pulls out a report from her desk and looks down at it. After several seconds of going through its contents, she looks back at everyone. "It isn't really certain when the angel will be arriving. I just got word not too long ago and we haven't had the chance to run the information through our MAGI System."

Dr. Florence walks closer to the desk with a mild amount of seriousness radiating from his person. "Well, let's keep in mind that we only have two MAGI brains while Tokyo-03 has three. Also, let me remind you that ours aren't as good as theirs."

Commander Skylark nods at the doctor, agreeing with what he said, and turns her attention down to analyze the report again. "At this point, we can't be worrying about that." She returns her attention to everyone with a firm look on her face. "We just have to work with what we have and with only one Eva while Tokyo-03 has at their disposal three Evas. We can all assume that life isn't fair for us." She smiles in a sad way.

Rivka rolls her eyes and puts her right hand on her hip. "They can have as many pilots as they want! All we need is just one, right?" She looks at everyone with a determined smile.

Capt. Russell sighs in response to Rivka what Rivka said as he shakes his head with his eyes close and then gazes at Rivka. "You sound very confident." He smiles. "Be careful though. Too much confidence can be a person's downfall."

Sub-Commander Norwood cuts in with a serious tone. "Enough. This isn't the time to be talking about life lessons. We all have to be focused on the task at hand."

Commander Skylark nods in agreement without veering her eyes away from those who are in front of her. "Well said. At this moment, all we can do is be prepared. So as a result," she specifically looks at Dr. Florence. "Doctor, you will be working with the MAGI tonight. We need to know how long we have until the angel arrives."

Dr. Florence nods. "I'll start on that right away."

Commander Skylark smiles. "Good, Sub-Commander Norwood and I will continue to look for more information on the situation. We will see if there is anything else that we need to be concerned with. This will also be our first angel, and Tokyo-03 has already fought 4 angels. So let's show them that we are as good as they are!"

Everyone nods and say at the same time. "Right!"

Commander Skylark nods out of approval. "Alright. Everyone else is dismissed."

Rivka smiles and shouts. "Thank goodness!" She starts to walk away in a tired manner. "Time for me to go home and sleep!" She turns to look at Maj. Valqua while still walking and waves at him. "Hey, Jerry! Take me home! It was a pain taking the subway to get here!"

Maj. Valqua smiles at her. "Okay, Rivka. Let's go home." He looks at everyone and waves. "Bye, everyone." He starts to walk away.

Rivka maintains her smile while still walking, turns her head and waves at the others as well. "Bye!"

As Rivka and Maj. Valqua left, everyone else started to leave the room except the Commander and Sub-Commander. Commander Skylark, who is still at her desk that's in front of a giant see-through glass that shows the 2nd Branch's headquarters. Sub-Commander Norwood now goes to the other side of the desk and sits down on a chair that's placed there for visitors.

Commander Skylark sighs while looking down and then peers at the Sub-Commander. "Wow... I guess this is going to be a long, grueling experience." She slightly smiles while laughing softly. "I wish things had stayed as simple as watching over the Eva and its pilot. But now, we have our work cut-out for us." Skylark then holds up her head with both hands.

Sub-Commander Norwood calmly stares at her with a smile. "What did you think was going to eventually happen? One way or the other, we were going to be put into the battlefield. Now we know what we will be dealing with very soon."

Commander Skylark leans back on her chair and crosses her legs while having her hands on her lap. "You're right... But there's something that I kept from mentioning to everyone. It was mostly because of Rivka."

Sub-Commander Norwood makes a surprised expression. "And that would be?"

Commander Skylark sighs and looks down at her lap. "There's a possibility that we might be receiving another pilot... The pilot for Eva Unit 04 to be exact."

Sub-Commander Norwood raises his eyebrows with astonishment showing. He then quickly regains his composure and says with a serious tone, "That's unexpected. But why would we receive another pilot so soon? Eva Unit 04 isn't even completed yet."

Commander Skylark shrugs and lifts her head up to look at Norwood. "So far it hasn't been decided completely. They will make their final decision once they see how Rivka does against the upcoming angel."

Sub-Commander Norwood has a curious look on his face. "They?"

Commander Skylark sighs. "The Committee is who I'm talking about." She turns her eyes away while saying, "They were the people who labeled Rivka as the 6th Child and told us to increase the construction time of Eva Unit 04. Even though, they never said why, but now the reason for doing that is obvious. I never thought that they had a pilot tucked away for it all this time." Skylark then looks back at Norwood with seriousness returning.

Sub-Commander Norwood's curiosity doesn't seize as he asks, "What should we do?"

Commander Skylark responds with no change to her expression. "We need to do our best in keeping them from interfering. It would be much better that way. At least we wouldn't have to worry about them or this other pilot they want to put on us. We better hope that Rivka can take care of this angel."

Sub-Commander Norwood coughs a little, then pulls out a report that he has on Rivka and places it on the desk while skimming through it. "It seems that Rivka's sync ratio is currently at 70%." He looks up at Skylark with a hint of concern. "Do you think that's not enough?"

Commander Skylark grabs the report, studies it and then looks back at Norwood. "Let's hope that it's enough. It would be really bad to have the Committee come to the rescue." She giggles.

Sub-Commander Norwood slightly smiles and shakes his head from disbelief with his eyes shut. "To avoid that outcome, we should try to find more information to help our side." He looks at Skylark one more time.

Commander Skylark smiles. "You read my mind."

The two of them promptly start on their investigation and continue throughout the night. Soon it becomes day-time as we find Rivka getting ready to go to school. At this moment, Rivka's talking on her cellular with her best friend while also standing at her closet that has a mirror on the door that's to her right as it reflects her entire body. She already has her school uniform on, which is the same as the uniform that NERV's pilots wear, but with it being purple instead of blue and the reason she has to wear a uniform is because she goes to a private school.

Rivka says with a concerned tone. "I don't know, Betty. It seems like you're asking a lot from me."

Betty anxiously yells out, "Come on, Rivka! I can't go out on a date with Jonny if it's only me and him! You know my dad wouldn't let it happen!"

Rivka sighs while rolling her eyes and then drops her head down with her eyes closed. "We'll talk about it later, okay? I'm getting off the phone. I'll see you at school."

Betty responds with a happy tone. "Alright! Don't forget that I'm coming over today! I'll remind you!"

Rivka instantly opens her eyes out of realization. She then looks up at the ceiling with a shocked look on her face. "Oh crap! I forgot!" Rivka calms herself down while letting out a big sigh. "I'm sorry, Betty. I completely forgot to tell you that I have to go prepare my Eva today."

Betty obviously becomes quite sad as she ask, "I thought you only did that on Sundays?"

Rivka stares at her own reflection. "There was a change of plans and now there's actually a possibility that I might have to fight one of those angels. I'll tell you the rest of the details later. I have to go." She changes her tone to a happy one. "Bye!"

Betty's concerned about Rivka, but holds it in. "Ummm, okay." She quickly cheers up and yells, "Bye!"

Rivka hangs up and puts her cellular away. Right after that, she rushes out of her room, and as she's leaving the apartment, Rivka notices that Jerry isn't around. She quickly shrugs-off her concern since she knows that he's most likely at headquarters. And with that, Rivka quickly gets out of the apartment and runs toward her school. Fortunately, her school is only a mile away from the apartment, which is an apartment that's located on the 5th floor of a 7 floor building and it's the last apartment on the right side of the building.

Rivka reaches her school and classroom that is labeled A-2 right before the bell rings. (Did you notice a similarity from Shinji's class? *Laughs*) She then sits in her desk and just stares at the chalk board while think with exhaustion being noted, "Made it..."

Betty suddenly appears to the right of Rivka's desk and leans on it while waving her right hand in front of her best friend. "Rivka? Hello...? Are you okay?"

Rivka stopped staring at the board and looks at Betty with a dumbfounded expression for a little bit. She then quickly smiles at Betty and says with a calm tone, "Yeah, I'm alright. I just had to really rush to get here. I was still at home when we got off the phone and I knew I was running late."

Surprise immediately takes over Betty's face. "I'm sorry, Rivka! I should have gotten off the phone sooner!"

Rivka maintains her smile. "It's alright. I woke up late anyway. So it wasn't your fault. I had a very late meeting at the 2nd Branch last night and it took a bit before it was over."

Betty gives Rivka a sympathetic look. "Wow, you should have stayed home. That way, you didn't have to worry about school."

Rivka shakes her head. "No, it's fine. Anyway, we have that lousy test today and I don't want to be behind."

Betty smiles while nodding and then makes a curious expression. "So, what was up with that meeting you had last night? You said that you might have to fight an angel."

Rivka closes her eyes as she puts her head down on her crossed arms and sighs before deciding to look at Betty again. "Yeah... That's what the meeting was about. Everyone has to start getting ready just to be safe. This might not be the only one we'll have to worry about."

Worry now radiates from Betty's person. "Please be careful. You're my best friend. I would hate it if anything would ever happen to you."

Rivka replies with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Betty. I was train for this. You know I would never let anything happen to me."

Betty happily smiles. "Good. I like it that you have so much confidence in yourself."

Rivka giggles. "Well at least you like that I have so much confidence."

Betty raises her left eyebrow out of confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rivka looks away and starts to laugh. "Oh... Nothing..." She smiles to herself while closing her eyes again.

Before Betty got a chance to make a comment, she notices Jonny as he's waiving at her from the northeast part of the room. That causes Betty to blush while waving back at him. Obviously, Rivka notices and gets the idea to tease Betty, which she knows very well that Betty doesn't like it when she does that.

Rivka laughs while pointing at Jonny with her right hand. "There's your dream boy." She laughs again.

Betty blushes even more while being in a defensive pose and facing Rivka. "Stop it! That's not funny!"

Rivka puts the hand she was pointing with down and continues to laugh while looking at Betty. "Yes, it is! It's so adorable when you blush, considering that you blush every time he even glances at you!" She giggles.

Betty starts to talk while trying to stop blushing and then changes the topic. "Anyway, that reminds me... What about you joining me and Jonny on a double date?" She stares at Rivka intently.

Rivka hurriedly leans back against her seat due to being caught off guard and then starts to stutter. "Ummm... W-Well... About that..." She sighs loudly and regains her composure, but then suddenly slouches on her desk. "Are you sure there's no way that your dad would let you two go out by yourselves?"

Betty lets out a soft sigh and then gestures her hands in front of herself. "Rivka... You know how my dad is. He thinks that if I go out with Jonny alone, and because of him knowing how much I like Jonny, that we're going to do something perverted. Of course, you know that we won't, but my dad is very protective over me." She puts her hands together in a pleading way. "Please, Rivka!"

Rivka shuts her eyes as she sighs again and then opens them to look at Betty. "Oh... Alright." She then points at Betty with her right hand while displaying an immense amount of seriousness. But don't expect the date to last that long! We're only going out to eat, right?"

Betty yells out of happiness and hugs Rivka. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Don't you worry at all!" She tries to calm herself down a bit. "You're right about it being only dinner. That gives me plenty of time to enjoy being with Jonny. I got to go tell him." Betty lets go of Rivka and turns to walk away.

Right before Betty's able to get out of arm's length, Rivka quickly grabs Betty's arm with the same hand she was pointing with to stop her while sitting up straight. "Wait!"

Betty quickly returns her attention to Rivka with concern appearing. "What? What is it?"

Rivka tilts her head to the right in a curious way while also being a little concerned. "Who's my date?"

Betty makes a nervous expression as her eyes widen and then responds with a hesitant tone. "W-What?"

Rivka asks again, but with a louder tone. "Who's my date?"

Betty looks away while she gets even more nervous. "Ummm... Why do you want to know?"

Rivka starts to get annoyed and makes Betty look at her. "Who's my date, Betty?!"

Betty hesitates for a moment and then answers with a stressed expression. "Uhhh... My brother..."

Rivka immediately gets really angry and yells out, "What?!"

Everyone else in the classroom look at Rivka for a moment. They then start to talk to each other about her yelling while some are even making rude remarks about her wanting attention.

Betty tries to calm Rivka down by waving both hands in front of the blond. "Please don't change your mind, Rivka. You're my only hope." She looks around at everyone, who are watching them, and then looks back at her. "And don't yell."

Rivka continues to be upset. "Why does it have to be your brother? Why can't it be someone else?"

Betty sighs. "Because first off, my dad wants my brother to keep an eye on me, and for second, my brother won't do it unless you're his date." She nervously shrugs while having an apologetic expression. "Sorry."

Rivka screams out from pure rage and gets up from her desk. "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

Betty tries to calm Rivka down again with concern being displayed. "I'm really sorry. But please, Rivka, please don't change your mind about going with us! I'm really depending on you!"

Rivka can't hepl but be upset, but desperately tries to keep her anger from lashing out. "Oh... Alright!" She then points at Betty with her left hand. "But you owe me! You owe me BIG time, Betty!"

Betty puts her hands together and cheerfully smiles. "Yay! Thank you, Rivka!"

Rivka looks away while mumbling with annoyance in her voice, "You're welcome..."

While Rivka is still a bit pissed off and class is beginning to start, off the east coast of the United States, there appears to be an unidentified, giant object that's emerging from the ocean. It's currently moving at a slow pace, which is due to its size and the efforts of the U.S. Army. This giant is heading towards Nevada's Capital while being described as a four legged monster that is of the color, aqua and white. It also looks like a liger while having saber-like teeth.

As this giant, unknown creature continues to its destination, there is no telling what it might do. Meanwhile, at the 2nd Branch of NERV, every person is doing their best to get prepared for the unidentified object they just heard about.

Maj. Valqua's standing while looking at the giant screen that shows an image of the creature's location. "So...what's the information on the angel?"

Lt. Mina talks while looking at her computer with concern being displayed. "What makes you think it's an angel?"

Capt. Russell looks at Lt. Mina and says with a sarcastic tone, "Oh yeah, Lieutenant... What else could it possibly be... A giant bunny?" He then laughs to himself.

Dr. Florence stands by Jerry as he's a bit irritated from the Captain's comment while looking at him. "Don't be so rude. She was just hoping that it wouldn't be the worst possible scenario." He turns his focus towards the clipboard that he's holding with his right hand. "Anyway... Based on the calculations of the MAGI Systems, the angel should be arriving in approximately 8 hours and 40 minutes."

Maj. Valqua briefly looks at the time on his watch. "That gives us until about 4:40 PM before it will arrive here."

Lt. Mina makes a surprised expression while making eye contact with the Major. "We have that much time? Rivka should be done with school by then and be already here. In that case, there's no point of us pulling her out of school."

Capt. Russell looks at his screen for a moment and quickly turns his gaze to Lt. Mina. "I say we should bring her here as soon as possible. At least we can have her ready for the angel without having to rush."

Maj. Valqua's glances at Capt. Russell and then looks at the giant monitor again. "Don't worry about that. We'll have plenty of time to get her ready after school. There's no need in making her come here and wait so long for the angel." He then looks at the Captain out of the corner of his eyes. "Anyway, she has a test today. It would be a pain for her to miss it."

Capt. Russell sighs while taking a quick look at the main monitor. "Alright..." He then focuses on his computer screen again and speaks while having a slightly concerned tone, "But why is it going to take the angel so long to get here?"

Dr. Florence talks while analyzing the report that's on the clipboard. "The Military's slowing it down. Though, I doubt they're really making much of a difference. The MAGI have confirmed that the angel is also moving at a slow rate. Those are the reasons for it taking so long."

Maj. Valqua smiles at Capt. Russell. "There you go, Thomas. You got your answer."

Capt. Russell grits his teeth out of annoyance and snaps his head to look at the Major. "Don't call me by my first name! That's completely unprofessional!"

Maj. Valqua keeps on smiling. "Okay... If you insist."

Lt. Mina smiles and laughs while watching them. "It's good to see everyone getting along. I always hoped that we could be like one big happy family."

Both Maj. Valqua and Capt. Russell share a glance to each other with surprise showing as they say in unison, "Family?" They then both smile at the same time and look at Lt. Mina. "Yeah!"

Dr. Florence puts his hand on his forehead while having it lowered and shakes his head in disbelief with a mild smile. He then thinks to himself as his head is still down, "I guess this is one of those times where people have to accept what they have and appreciate the good times." He stops his train of thought for a moment to look to the side and then thinks, "Even though the world we live in is slowly crumbling..."

*Scene Fades Into Black*

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

I always believed that some of the original episodes of Evangelion were very addicting because of the way they left you on a cliffhanger. That's the reason why I did the same thing. I hope you liked it. Sorry about not getting to the fight yet, but it's going to happen in the next episode. I still haven't decided on how many episodes there will be and so far this episode has a good length to it. I'll most likely range the episodes to be decent lengths. But I won't go overboard... Maybe. *Smiles* Now, for my explanation of the whole transfer idea. I kind of screwed up with some information that I thought was right, but turns out that I got majorly confused. I did the transfer thing so I won't have to change so much when it comes to the characters. I still have to work on some things because I've written a good number of episodes already as my first drafts and to correct my error is going to be a pain for me. Well, I hope that you all enjoyed the episode either way.

Character Description:

I neglected to give any description of the characters during the episode. Here are the details of the characters and their full names.

Rivka Genster - Age 14, half German and half Dutch. She has light skin, weighs 113 pounds and slim. She also has long blond straight hair, dark green eyes and is 5'5". Now, for all the perverts to know and so that you don't exaggerate about what her body looks like, she has size 36C jugs and a pretty nice ass (I prefer to use the word jugs for the moment *Laughs*)

Major Jerry Valqua - Age 31, German, has a light tan, weighs about 160 while having a decent build and brown short hair (He has it spiked up). He also has light green eyes and is 5'10"

Commander Isabel Skylark - Age 34, German, has light skin and weighs 128 while being slim. She has short, red straight hair with bangs, light blue eyes, and is 5'7". Also, once again for the perverts, she has size 36D jugs and a nice ass (*Laughs* That explains the weight)

Sub-Commander Frank Norwood - Age 39, American, has light skin and weighs about 155 while being a bit scrawny. He has blond and kind of long straight hair that's tied up into a pony tail while having hazel eyes and is 5'9"

Captain Thomas Russell - Age 26, African-American (Not trying to sound racist, but he's the only black guy! *Laughs*), has dark skin (Obviously!), weighs 150, a bit scrawny, shaved head (Of course...), has dark brown eyes and is 5'8"

Doctor William Florence - Age 32, German, has light tan skin and weighs 165 while having a decent build. He has a mixture of white and brown short hair due to him seemingly aging faster than normal as he wears glasses and has light blue eyes while being 5'10"

Lieutenant Dana Mina - Age 25, American, has light skin and weighs 118 with a slim body. She also has short, curly dirty-blond hair, has light green eyes, stands at 5'6", has size 34B jugs and not much of an ass *Laughs*

Betty Berra - Age 14, half American and half Belgium (Funny combo *Laughs*). She has slightly tan skin, weighs 110 while being slim, has long straight dark brown hair and has blue eyes as she stands at 5'5". Her chest size is 36B and a pretty nice ass

Jonny Russo - age 14, Italian, has light skin, weighs 140, slightly scrawny, has buzzed style blond hair, brown eyes, and is 5'5" (I decided to add the description of Jonny because he was involved in one scene)

The way the information above is shown is how I'm going to describe every new character unless I feel like describing them during the episode. When it comes to the angels, I will always give a description of the angel when it appears.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	2. Episode 2

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

I have been up all night and I'm not stopping just yet! Well, that depends if I pass out before I finish *Laughs*. Just like I said in the end of my previous episode, I would have the fighting scene in and some extra stuff. I will continue this for as long as I can. I don't do this for money, I do this because that's what I want to do, although I bet no one would ever pay me to do this. Anyway, now is the time for the continuation of this story and I hope you all enjoy it. Again, I must say that I do NOT own Neon Genesis Evangelion, but I wish I did.

Episode 2: The 1st Angel and Rivka's Rage

We join Rivka in her classroom as she and the rest of the class are taking a test. Rivka soon finishes her test before everyone else and just stares out the window that's to her left as she's sitting in the 4th desk of the last row that's next to the windows. There are 6 chairs in each row and there are only 4 rows in total.

Rivka continues to look out the window while thinking, "I wonder how everything will work out with the angel. I'm not sure if I can beat it." She closes her eyes and thinks after softly laughing to herself, "It's amazing how I put up a strong front, and yet, I'm so nervous right now. I hope all that training I've gone through really helps." Rivka quietly sighs and then opens her eyes to look out the window again. "I remember the first day I saw my Eva. The day that I started training."

*Flashback: December 1, 2010*

The scene shows a younger Rivka standing in front of the cage with her eyes intently on a very incomplete Eva Unit 05. Meanwhile, there's a fairly young lady in a lab coat standing to the right of Rivka, but the lady's face isn't shown. *This is all taking place in the 3rd Branch, which is located in Berlin since that's where Rivka and her Eva were at when she was little*

The lady speaks with a stern, commanding tone while gazing at Rivka. "Ms. Genster?!"

Rivka hurriedly peers at the lady. "Huh? Oh... Sorry... I wasn't really paying attention."

The lady sighs with her head down for a moment and then returns her attention back to Rivka. "It's alright. Just understand that what you're looking at is the future. It's your responsibility to protect everyone. Now, come with me. It's time for your sync test." She turns and starts to walk away from Rivka.

Rivka frowns and nods. "Yes, madam." She then follows the lady.

Then, Rivka gets in an entry plug and starts to take the synchronization test with everyone in the base observing her. The same female lab worker was also observing Rivka's performance while speaking to a male co-worker, whose face couldn't be seen either.

The lady speaks without diverting her eyes from the entry plug. "It's quite amazing. She has a sync ratio of 25% with no prior training and she's only 9 years old! It's like that child was made to be a pilot. Just think how great of a tool she'll become!" She maliciously smiles to herself.

The male co-worker responds with a firm tone while looking at the entry plug as well. "Ignoring that last part, I would have to agree with you on everything else. Although, what do her parents think about her piloting this monstrosity?"

The lady laughs again and says with an arrogant tone, "Her father is too busy with other affairs to be involved in her life and her mother passed away years ago!" She laughs a little bit more and turns her head to look at him. "So, we won't hear any complaints from anyone!"

The male co-worker promptly states with concern in his voice. "That's very sad. By the look of it, she's going to grow-up to be a beautiful, young lady. No beautiful girl like that should live her life all by herself... Let alone have the fate of the world on her shoulders." The man's face is then revealed and its Major Valqua. Sadness completely shadows his face as he thinks to himself while still looking at Rivka's entry plug, "She doesn't deserve this."

The lady retorts with an even more arrogant tone. "She won't be alone. She has the Eva and that's all she will ever need. Anyway, I doubt she'll even live that long." She then cocks her head back and laughs in a maniacal way.

In the meantime, Rivka continues to sit in the entry plug as she's holding onto the controls. She then mutters to herself while silently shedding tears with her eyes closed, "I don't want to do this. Why do I have to do this? Why does my daddy have to be so busy? Why did mommy have to die?" She suddenly yells out in a whisper, "I miss her so much! I wish someone out there actually cared about me and not see me as just a tool!" She becomes very upset and continues to cry.

*End of Flashback*

Betty whispers to Rivka, "Hey, Rivka? Are you there?"

Rivka snaps out of her daydream while being a little startled and looks at Betty. "Huh? Oh hey, Betty."

Betty whispers with a bit of urgency. "Be quiet, Rivka! The test is still going on!"

Rivka quickly covers her mouth. She then looks around, uncovers her mouth and returns her attention to Betty while whispering, "I'm sorry... I completely zoned-out."

Betty shakes her head while smiling with her eyes shut and then looks at Rivka again. "Yeah, I can tell." A small amount of curiosity shows itself on Betty's person with her smile now gone. "What were you thinking about?"

Rivka sighs as she veers her eyes away from Betty and looks to her left. "Just a little bit about the past. It's not really important."

Betty makes a concerned expression. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Rivka nods her head without looking at her best friend. "Yeah, I'm sure... Just don't worry about it."

Betty sighs. "Okay." She then looks back at her own paper.

The rest of the school day went fairly quick, while at the 2nd Branch, everyone's keeping track of the time that's steadily passing. Right now it's 12:35 PM and the clock is ticking away on multiple, different-sized monitors across the room. At the same time, the Commander and Sub-Commander are still scrambling for some more information on the fact that there's an angel heading towards them.

Commander Skylark brushes-off her navy-colored uniform while standing over her desk, which has multiple stacks of papers on it. "I can't believe that after all the hours spent on looking through private files, we couldn't find anything useful."

Sub-Commander Norwood sighs while standing next to her with the same colored uniform as he leans onto the desk with both hands placed on it. "Yeah, but at least we know that this will be our first opportunity to make a good impression." He then gazes at her with a smirk.

Commander Skylark makes eye contact with Norwood with no change to her demeanor. "Of course you would say that. Let's just hope things go well." She refocuses on the papers that are in front of her. "Actually, come to think about it, we should try to find out who this other pilot is. That way we can know what to expect."

Sub-Commander Norwood nods in agreement. "'Good idea. That's the least we can do since we're looking around anyway."

They both smile at each other and continue their search. Meanwhile, time keeps going by and school ends for Rivka as she's walking out of the classroom. She then hears a commotion coming from the other classmates that are outside.

Rivka walks up to a male classmate with some curiosity showing. "Hey, what's going on?"

The male classmate looks at her and talks in a frantic manner. "I heard that there is a monster heading this way! My mom just told me! I'm getting out of here!" The boy turns and runs away from Rivka.

A female classmate suddenly walks towards Rivka with her attention to the male classmate who's running away and says with an arrogant tone while being to Rivka's right, "What an idiot. If there was actually something to worry about, then we would have been notified." She looks at Rivka. "How stupid are guys, right?" The girl then laughs while standing in a proud pose.

Then, out of nowhere, a female voice comes from the emergency speaker and says while a siren loudly goes off. "Attention all civilians. Please head to the nearest shelter. The entire city is under level red alert. Please remain calm and just head towards the nearest shelter."

The female classmate hurriedly looks up while listening to the warning and then starts to freak out. "Oh, crap!" She quickly snaps her head to look at Rivka. "Got to go! Bye!" The girl then runs off to the same direction that the male classmate had gone.

After seeing that, Rivka sighs, drops her head down and shakes it with her eyes closed. "Just great." She then looks up towards the ceiling with a little concern appearing. "I got to get to my Eva and quick."

Betty shouts from a distance while waving at her best friend. "Rivka!"

Rivka looks at Betty while being a bit surprised for a moment and then rushes to her. "What is it, Betty?!"

Betty motions to her. "Come with me, Rivka! I'll get you to your Eva in no time!" She turns and runs ahead of Rivka.

Rivka's becomes very quiet with confusion taking over while stopping and watching Betty run. She then yells out while being concerned, "Wait! How are you going to get me there?!

Betty yells back at her while still running as she's looking at Rivka out of the corner of her right eye. "Just follow me!" She then turns her attention back towards in front of herself.

Rivka sighs again while lowering her head and mumbles to herself, "Damn it." She then looks in front of herself and runs after Betty.

Rivka soon found out that she would have preferred running to HQ than getting a lift from Betty's brother. Rivka was in the front seat while Betty was in the back seat with Jonny, who is good friends with Betty's brother. They were traveling in a red Mustang Convertible, which happens to be Betty's brother's favorite type of car and sure liked driving fast in it.

Betty shouts at her brother while being very worried, "Max! Slow down! You're going to crash into something!"

Max confidently laughs as he pulls on the wheel, which makes the car weave around. "Don't worry, little sister! As long as Rivka's by my side, nothing bad can happen!"

A profound amount of irritation can be noted on RIvka's face as she yells at Max, "Don't make me throw up! I have to pilot an Eva really soon and it would really suck being sick before fighting a freaking angel!"

Max softly sighs while putting his head down for a moment and easing up on the speeding. "That's harsh. I hope you treat me with more respect when we go out." He then looks at Rivka with a smart ass smile and winks at her.

Rivka grits her teeth and then screams, "Ahhhh!" She leans towards Max with pure anger arising. "You're SO lucky that your sister is my best friend!" Rivka then grabs his head and makes him look at the road. "And pay attention, you idiot!"

Max laughs, makes Rivka let go of his head and focuses on the road. "Really? That's sweet. Why don't you give me a kiss since you obviously want me so much?" He glances at Rivka while still smiling.

Rivka gets even more irritated. "You're such an idiot! I wish I could just..." She tightly grabs her head with both hands and screams. Rivka then puts her hands down to cross them together and looks out the window with aggravation.

Jonny says to Betty. "What the hell is up with Rivka? I thought Max and her are dating. So why are they fighting?"

Rivka's completely surprised from what she just overheard from Jonny and then looks at him with an intense amount of rage. "What?! What did you say?! Who the hell told you that freaking lie?!"

Jonny hesitantly points at Max with his right hand. "Ummm..."

Rivka turns and gives Max a death glare. "You son of a bitch!"

Max starts to laugh while looking at the road. "Oh come one, Rivka! Can't you take a joke?!"

Rivka grabs Max's right arm with both hands and forcefully twists it backwards while still glaring at him.

Max screams out in pain while his right arm's being twisted. "Ouch! I guess not!"

As they swerve around due to Rivka's anger, they arrive at the 2nd Branch. Rivka enters and leaves the others under the care of NERV Security. Betty sees her friend gradually walk out of sight and hopes for the best for her.

Rivka goes to the locker room and puts on a dark green/brown-colored plugsuit while being kind of a military fashion, but without the common pattern that cameo clothing has. She then heads to her Eva and awaits orders as everybody in HQ prepare for the moment of truth.

Maj. Valqua talks to Rivka by using the intercom, which he does this by using a microphone that he's wearing on his collar. "Rivka, Remember; Don't hesitate and once you face that angel, defeat it with all your might!" He says that last part with a lot of passion.

Rivka appears on the main monitor from the entry plug while confidently smiling. "Right!" Her screen from the plug goes off as she thinks to herself while taking deep breaths, "You can do this. Everyone's depending on you. Make them all proud."

Capt. Russell stands right next to his computer while having his hands in his pockets and his eyes on Lt. Mina. "How do you think this is going to turn out? Do you actually believe that she'll pull it off?"

Lt. Mina sits in front of her computer while looking at the information on it. "Don't ask that. We should all know that Rivka will prevail and protect us."

Capt. Russell sighs without diverting his attention from Lt Mina. "It's kind of sad that we have to put all our hopes AND the hopes of the people of this city in the hands of a teenage girl."

Dr. Florence speaks while sitting on a chair that's located on the right side of one of the MAGI's as he's looking at the giant monitor that now shows the angel. "I guess this is how things will have to be like. We have to depend on that girl for our survival."

Maj. Valqua smiles and softly says while standing between Capt. Russell and Lt. Mina, "I know you can do it, Rivka. I won't give up on you as long as you're willing to live and fight." He then shouts out while looking to the monitor that's to his right, which shows the cage that Unit 05's in. "Rivka, are you ready?!"

Rivka nods while firmly holding onto the Eva's controls. "Yes, sir!"

Maj. Valqua turns towards the main screen and shouts with a stern tone, "Launch Eva Unit 05!"

On cue, the Eva's launched with Rivka having to endure extreme pressure due to the launch as she and her Eva soon reach the surface. Rivka's a little shook-up, but keeps her composure and peers at the enemy that's a distance of about 5 miles away. Rivka gets her weapons ready while her Eva is leveled and she puts on her targeting helmet that is to help her keep better track of the angel. *Now, Eva Unit 05 is equipped with two cannons on its shoulders while holding a rifle in each hand. The difference between this Eva and the one that Mari pilots is the weapons. Also, that this Eva has a tank-like lower half instead of four legs which seems pretty cool... Right? That was a rhetorical question. Aside that, the color's still the same, which is green and brown with random parts being white*

Rivka glares at the angel while being a bit irritated. "What the hell is it waiting for?! Why hasn't it attack me yet?!"

Maj. Valqua instantly appears on Rivka's side screen. "Stay focus, Rivka. It might be up to something."

Rivka tightens her grip on the controls. "Right!" She then tries to calm herself down a little with her eyes shut and head lowered. "Just remain patient, Rivka. Let it make the first move because the one who makes the first move will make the first mistake." Rivka glares at the angel again and takes aim on the angel with both rifles.

1st Angel *Ligerel* randomly lets out a loud screech while fiercely glaring at Eva Unit 05.

Rivka's startled by the angel's sudden screech, but then relaxes and regains her composure. "Wow, that was unexpected" She smirks with determination over taking her expression. "But I'm going to take you down. You better bet your ass on it!" Rivka then starts to fire at the angel with both rifles and it seems that Ligerel is being covered by the smoke. This results in it being unable to be seen, which upsets Rivka quite a bit. "What?! Damn it! I over did it!"

Capt. Russell talks from his post with disappointment being displayed. "It seems like our golden girl is having some trouble controlling herself."

Maj. Valqua's annoyance can't be hidden as he lightly grinds his teeth. "Rivka! Don't worry about it! Just stay calm and focus!"

Rivka lets out a big sigh with her eyes shut. "Easy for you to say... Oh well... I might as well aim with the cannons. At least they will pack a bigger punch." She then opens her eyes as they widen immediately afterwards due to Rivka seeing that the angel has disappeared and causes her to frantically look around. "What the?! Where the hell is it?! Where is that damn angel?!"

Maj. Valqua shows up on Rivka's screen and yells with an urgent tone, "Rivka, behind you!"

Rivka gasps and turns her head to look behind herself. "Huh?!"

Ligerel roars and jumps on the Eva while biting the Eva's left shoulder with its saber-like teeth.

Rivka screams in pain with her right hand tightly grasping her shoulder as she lowers her head and grits her teeth. "You son of a bitch!" She then snaps her head to the left screen that shows the angel with anger rapidly arising. "I'm going to kill you!"

With that cry, Rivka starts to make Unit 05 move wildly, and as a result, the angel jumps off. Rivka then takes aim with the cannons and yells out when the angel is in her sight, "I told you that I am going to kill you!" Unit 05 promptly fires two powerful blasts that were perfectly aimed at the angel, and at the moment of impact, a giant explosion was created.

Both Lt. Mina and Capt. Russell cheer from their posts while smiling and laughing.

In Maj. Valqua's case, he calmly speaks while still staring at the giant monitor. "Please be quiet. It's not over yet." He points at the screen with his right hand as it's revealed that the angel's still alive.

After seeing that, both Lt. Mina and Capt. Russell look at each other with shocked expressions.

Dr. Florence joins into the conversation without leaving his seat. "I'm amazed that it took both of those cannons at once and survived." He gets up and turns to make eye contact with the Commander from a distance. "What do you think about the situation?"

Commander Skylark stands behind a giant glass that makes up the wall of her office as she clenches her hands into a fist out of irritation while looking back at Florence. "We'll have to see how things turn out... And pray that God will help us."

Rivka maintains her focus on the angel that's still standing and then is overcome with immense frustration as she drops her head down. "Why... Why... Why..." She slowly lifts her head and glares at the angel. "Why.. Don't... You... DIE!" Unit 05 starts to fire at the angel with both the rifles and cannons, but they have no real effect. The Eva keeps on shooting until running out of ammo and that causes Rivka to gasp with concern while pulling her body back.

Maj. Valqua slaps his forehead. "Damn it!" He then puts his hand down while maintaining his eyes locked onto the monitor. "It seems like we underestimated the angel. Now we can't do anything to stop it when it comes to weapons."

Shock suddenly takes over Lt. Mina's expression as she's watching her screen. "Major! Rivka's sync ratio is increasing and her A.T. Field is up! Sync ratio is nearing 80%!"

Maj. Valqua looks at Lt. Mina with a surprised look and then smiles. "So, she's finally getting serious." He then looks at the giant monitor that's now showing Unit 05 and whispers, "Go get that bastard, Rivka."

Rivka passionately yells as she makes the Eva rush at the angel and charges right into it, which makes Ligerel crash into a 25 floor building. Unit 05 then backs up for a moment and starts to use both rifles to strike the angel. The attack makes contact multiple times due to the angel's A.T. Field being neutralized by Unit 05's A.T. Field.

Ligerel continues to take some of the shots it's being given, but then is able to catch the riffle in Unit 05's left hand with its teeth and quickly destroys it. The angel then lunges towards Unit 05 and bites into it's left arm.

Rivka screams in pain and glares at the angel. She then hits the angel with the other rifle and makes it lose its grip on her Eva as Rivka hurriedly gets away from Ligerel. "You freaking bastard! That freaking hurt!" She continues to stare at Ligerel while overflowing with anger.

Then, without warning, Ligerel lunges at Unit 05 again while letting out a huge roar.

Rivka's startled for a moment, but with quick thinking, she throws her remaining rifle at it, which hits it right in the head. That was enough to stop it briefly as Rivka laughs right after that while leaning forward with her hands firmly holding onto the controls. "Eat that you piece of crap!"

Disappointment can be seen on Capt. Russell's face after witnessing what Rivka had just done and then looks at Maj. Valqua. "What the hell was that?! She actually threw her rifle at it?! What is she thinking?!"

Maj. Valqua smirks. "I don't know. I guess she's just improvising since things aren't going so well."

Capt. Russell sighs with his head down a little while shaking it. "Well, that's not going to do us any good." He then returns his attention to the Major. "How the hell will she beat it with cheap and childish tricks? Not to mention that she's still really pissed."

Maj. Valqua laughs with his arms crossed while still watching the main monitor. "I don't think we have to worry about that." He turns to his left to stand sideways and looks up at the Commander with a confident smile. "We still have one more weapon left. We just need your permission to use it, Commander."

Commander Skylark contemplates to herself with some uncertainty being noted. She then takes a deep breath and makes a decision. "If we must use it, then there's nothing that can be done about it." She lightly smiles back at him.

Maj. Valqua nods and then turns back to face the giant monitor. "I'll take that as a yes." He suddenly appears on Rivka's screen. "Rivka! Use the N2 Missiles and send that angel to hell!" Valqua promptly gives her a thumb up with his right hand to show that it's really okay.

Rivka looks at him with a surprised expression and then smiles while nodding. "Got it!" She returns her gaze to in front of her and pushes a red button on each controls at the same time. The Eva's chest-plate slowly opens up and reveals two N2 Missiles while the two cannons on her shoulders are mechanically moved to the sides of the Eva. Unit 05 then quickly loads the cannons with the missiles as Rivka takes aim.

In the meantime, Ligerel roars once again and runs towards the Eva.

Rivka smiles at the sight of the enemy heading towards her. "This time you're going to die for sure. So goodbye, bitch!" Unit 05 fires and both N2 Missiles hit the angel within mere seconds. A giant explosion immediately follows that end up destroying 5 buildings as well as Ligerel. Rivka watches the explosion while desperately holding onto the controls as the shock-wave of the explosion dies down. She then throws her hands up after seeing that the angel's defeated while happily yelling out, "Yes!"

Commander Skylark gives a sigh of relief and sits on her chair that was right behind her while looking through the glass. "I guess our last resort worked." She yells out at everyone over the intercom with a composed tone, "Congratulations everyone! We beat out first angel!" Skylark smiles.

Sub-Commander Norwood smiles as he's been standing to the left of Skylark the entire time and says to everyone over the intercom, "That's it! You can all celebrate now!"

On cue, everyone shouts out with pure joy.

Maj. Valqua looks at others. "Hey! Let's not forget who actually went all the way and brought us victory!" He then turns his attention to the damaged Eva that's being brought back into the cage. "Good job, Rivka. We're all proud of you." Valqua smiles.

Rivka tries to regain some of her composure while bent forward with her hair mostly covering her face and smiles at the major's comment. "Damn... That was still a close one." She rest her back onto the seat while cocking her head back. Rivka then stares at the darkness of the entry plug with a relieved smile. "I'm lucky that the Eva is very resilient." She giggles a little.

Capt. Russell suddenly yells out to the others in HQ, "Finally! Some success!" He then laughs with confidence brimming. "Now all we have to do is just clean up, make our report and shout out that we are the best!"

Lt. Mina closes her eyes out of disbelief and then looks at him. "You make it sound like you're the one who beat the angel." She giggles.

Capt. Russell laughs again with his eyes on Lt. Mina. "It was a team effort! So, I technically did beat it!"

Dr. Florence looks at them and rolls his eyes. "Technically? Yeah, right." He smirks.

Maj. Valqua laughs and then focuses his attention again to the monitor showing Unit 05 while yelling out, "Hey, Rivka!"

Rivka responds while getting out of the Eva and makes a curious expression as she's looking up. "What?!"

Maj. Valqua smiles. "Let's go home! You look beat!" He laughs.

Rivka nods and shouts out, "I am tired! What do you expect?!" She laughs as well and smiles.

Maj. Valqua chuckles. "Good point. Since you're so tired, you should go get dressed and we'll head home!"

Rivka tries to rush so that she can go home and take a long hot bath, but Betty with Jonny and Max cut her off. At that moment, being tired was the last thing on her mind. Rivka and Betty hugged each other as Betty's obviously very relieved that her best friend is alright. The two boys watched quietly as Rivka and Betty were so happy to see each other, which Rivka actually thought it was a miracle that Max wasn't hitting on her for once. They soon all part ways for the rest of the evening as Rivka was taken home by Jerry. *Of course this is what she calls him instead of Major when they are not in the 2nd Branch* Rivka takes her well-deserved bath while Jerry prepares the food.

When Rivka gets out of the bathroom, she sits at the table and the two of them have dinner together. Rivka then tilts her head to the left while staring at her plate with a hint of sadness being displayed. "Hey, Jerry?"

Jerry looks at her with a questionable expression. "What is it?"

Rivka talks while keeping her eyes on the plate. "Do you think I did a good job?" Tears then suddenly start to go down her face.

Jerry sees her crying and leans towards Rivka with a lot of concern showing. "Rivka... What's wrong?"

Rivka sobs while she keeps looking down and then tries to talk. "I was... So... Angry... I thought I was... Going to let... Myself... Be killed." She continues to cry while tightly clenching both hands together.

Jerry gets up, walks around the right side of the table and kneels down next to Rivka so that he can hold her.

Rivka keeps crying while hugging Jerry. "I just don't want to die..."

Jerry says softly while closing his eyes, "I know, Rivka... I know..."

*Scene Fades Into Black*

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

Yes, I know what you're thinking... Well... Probably. I left you with another cliffhanger, well get use to it because you will see a lot of it from me... Maybe. I'm going to explain why I made the difference for the Eva Unit 05. The reason is that it's kind of good to alter some things and also since there's no Mari in the original series, there's no real contradiction of the use of this Eva on something that's based on the original series. I don't know how episode 3 will be working out or even how long it will be because you can tell the difference from the first two episodes. Actually, I think this one is longer because there's less talking from me about my love for the original series and for the movies, which I think are awesome! *Laughs*

Character Description:

There's only one new character that I added because the other people who don't have an actual name aren't important.

Max Berra - Age 16, half American and half Belgium, tanned skin, weighs 155 and has a slight build (He's a jock for your information). He has straight, short dark brown hair that's always comb backwards, blue eyes and stands at 5'7"

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	3. Episode 3

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

I finally went to sleep and when I woke up I was thinking about what this episode should be about. Sometimes it can be hard to think of something that will be entertaining or interesting. I want to do my best to keep all of you happy. Although, the funny thing is that I'm not sure that I will ever publish this somewhere for people to read it or if anyone would ever read it, but at least I'm doing something I want to do. Yes I know, that kind of doesn't make any sense. *Laughs*

Episode 3: The Committee's Decision and Date Night

There's darkness in a room. Then there are multiple lights that shine down on five individuals that are sitting at a rectangle shaped table. An old man that's wearing a visor is at the head of the conversation that's being held. He is the Chairmen (Keel...duh!) and he is looking through paperwork.

Chairmen Keel speaks with a serious tone while leaning forward on the table. "It seems like the 2nd Branch in Nevada was able to hold its own and managed to defeat the angel."

The first male associate is sitting on the right side of Keel and speaks while looking at him and he's leaning forward as well. "True, but they had to use the experimental N2 missiles to do it. I think that was pretty reckless on their part."

The second male associate is sitting next to the first associate while holding up his head with his right hand and he's also looking at Keel. "I agree. We don't even let Ikari have access to that type of weaponry and yet, they used it without thinking of the consequences. Do you actually think we should let them be?"

Chairmen Keel looks at the both of them. "I never said that. Our pilot is heading over there as we speak."

The third male associate is sitting on Keel's left side and looks at him while leaning back on his chair. "So...that means Eva Unit 04 will be up and running soon. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

The fourth male associate is right next to the third associate and he leans forward while having a serious expression. "You must have a lot of confidence in that pilot for you to allow this."

Chairmen Keel looks at him and nods while being serious. "Yes. I do."

The fourth male associate sighs while looking down. "Let's hope that confidence isn't misguided."

The first associate looks at the fourth associate. "We shouldn't doubt the pilot or the Chairmen's belief."

Chairmen Keel looks at Everyone. "Alright. Let's get off that topic because no matter what, the pilot will arrive in Nevada on Friday evening and the 2nd Branch will be informed about the pilot being sent."

The first associate looks at Keel and smirks. "Obviously, they won't be happy about it. They tried so hard in defeating that angel for the reason of us not sending the pilot. That's what my source told me."

The third associate has a bit of a surprised expression while looking at the first associate. "Really? That's sad. They should want our help."

The fourth associate looks at the third associate while having a serious expression. "You should understand that it's their pride that made them not want our help." He then looks at everyone. "Anyway, they're probably suspicious of our intentions."

Chairmen Keel says with a calm tone. "Don't worry about it. It's all been decided. Anyway...we have to focus on the Instrumentality Project. That's our main focus."

Everyone nods at the same time while looking at Keel.

Chairmen Keel smiles while nodding with content. "Good." He then thinks to himself while looking upward. "Originally, I had planned on having Tabris pilot Eva Unit 04 since that would have given him a greater advantage over the other pilots, but my other pilot is better suited to pilot that Eva anyway." He keeps on smiling.

While they continued with their conversation, back in Carson City, Rivka has dealt with another day of school and she is currently walking with Betty. They're walking through town and both of them are still wearing their school uniform, which is like Japan's school uniform but it's the color grey instead.

Betty looks at Rivka while walking. "So...it's been decided for this Friday."

Rivka looks at Betty with a surprised expression and then gets a bit irritated while talking with a pleading tone. "Oh, come on! Does the date have to be that soon? It's Wednesday and that doesn't give me that much time! Anyway, I still don't like that I have to be your stupid brother's date!"

Betty makes a sad face. "Yeah, but you promised that you would go. Please don't back out, Rivka."

Rivka gets slightly annoyed and looks in front of her. "Oh, ok...but you definitely owe me." She glances at her.

Betty smiles at her while talking with an excited tone. "You bet!"

Rivka stops walking and looks around. "Well...I have to go. I have fencing practice."

Betty stops as well. "Oh, yeah! I forgot you take fencing classes." She then puts her left hand on her waist. "How is it?"

Rivka then looks at her with a dull expression. "It's alright. I have to take it to be physically prepared for anything."

Betty laughs. "That's the reason why you can pretty much kick my brother's ass and those angels too."

Rivka laughs as well. "Yup! Well, I'll see you later."

Betty smiles. "Ok. I'll call you later."

Rivka turns and looks toward the opposite direction that they were originally. "Ok. Bye!" She then starts to walk away.

Betty yells out while watching Rivka walking away. "Bye!" She turns and walks forward.

Rivka walks to a dojo and goes inside. She then gets ready in a locker room and comes out to a huge room, that have other people wearing fencing outfits and they're practicing with each other. Soon after, a lady with long, light purple hair goes to Rivka and they get ready for practice. They are both standing next to a wall that's on the left side of the room. (The room is square shape, so the length of the room is equal on all sides. Also, in the middle of the room, there are multiple spots, which are also square shape, that are to represent the fencing areas)

Rivka looks at her gear. "Tell me, Sensei. Is it really necessary to wear this uncomfortable gear?"

The sensei smiles at her. "Even though it's uncomfortable, it's still necessary to keep you from being injured."

Rivka whines for a moment, but she then stops while sighing. "Ok..."

The sensei continues to smile. "It's good that you understand. Now...let's begin."

Rivka smiles and looks at her. "Yes, Abigail-Sensei."

They go to one of the fencing areas while putting on their face guards. They get in position (Abigail is north and Rivka is south) and start with practice, which Rivka always takes the offensive. She has a good amount of experience and she's at the moderate level, although she could take on the higher classmen. Abigail isn't afraid to actually try a bit with Rivka since she's always improving, but Abigail has also realize Rivka's weakness.

Abigail talks while blocking Rivka's strikes. "You're still trying too hard to overpower me. A lady should never be like that." She smiles.

Rivka continues her assault while having an irritated tone in her voice. "If I were to let that get in the way..." She then gets into a stand-off for a moment with Abigail, which involves them both to be a few inches away. "Then what would be the point in taking these classes?" She then smiles at her.

Abigail's still smiling and pushes Rivka back a bit. "Good point." She then points her sword with her left hand at Rivka, that way she won't come at her. "That's enough with the brutality towards me." She laughs and points her sword towards the right side of the dojo. "Go find yourself another opponent to face against."

Rivka whines for a bit, but quickly gets over it. "Alright...but one of these days I'll face you until the very end and I'll win." She stares at Abigail with intensity as she smiles.

Abigail continues to smile while putting her arm down. "I would like to see that. Now, go find yourself an opponent."

Rivka sighs. "Ok." She then turns and starts searching for an opponent.

Rivka faces off against some other students and defeats them all. One was even a higher classmen and that didn't even satisfy her. As soon as class ended, Rivka went straight home while not worrying about anything else except the double date that is less than two days away. Meanwhile at the 2nd Branch, everybody have just received news that didn't leave that many happy faces. There are even some of the other members of the 2nd Branch making complaints.

Capt. Russell is annoyed about what he just heard and he punches the palm of his left hand while sitting in front of his computer. "Damn it! I can't believe this crap!"

Lt. Mina looks at him while having a worried expression and she's siting at her post. "Calm down."

Sub-Commander Norwood is standing right next to Commander Skylark, who is in the middle of everyone. He then speaks loudly so that everyone can hear him. "She's right! There's no reason to be upset!"

Everyone else become silent and just watch the head members continue to talk to each other.

Capt. Russell turns to look at the Sub-Commander while having an upset expression. "No reason to be upset? The Committee doesn't believe that we're reliable enough to keep this area safe! They're going to send another pilot that we don't even know as proof of their lack of trust!"

Lt. Mina frowns. "You don't know that. They could actually just want to make things easier for us."

Maj. Valqua is standing between Lt. Mina and Capt. Russell while crossing his arms. "Whatever their intentions are, all we can do is just accept it and keep an eye on the pilot that they're sending us."

Commander Skylark nods in agreement. "Well said, Major. We'll go with the flow, but we won't drop our guards." She then looks at everyone. "Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone nods in agreement.

Commander Skylark smiles. "Good." She then looks at every single member while making a bit of a nervous expression. "Now...who's going to tell Rivka?" She giggles.

Capt. Russell quickly turns to look at his computer and talks in a bit of a nervous way. "Not me. I remember what you guys told me when she met Asuka in the 3rd Branch. You guys also said that Rivka and her would pretty much try to kill each other everyday."

Maj. Valqua chuckles. "The only reason for that was that they didn't like each other." He makes a curious expression while putting his left hand on his chin. "Although, they do have some things in common when it comes to their personality and a few physical similarities. I never figured out why they hated each other." He then looks at Capt. Russell while putting his left hand down. "But as long as the pilot isn't like Asuka then Rivka should be fine."

Capt. Russell looks at Maj. Valqua for a moment. He then sighs while turning to look at his computer. "I hope you're right because I don't want to hear them fight."

Lt. Mina makes a concerned expression. "But we don't even know anything about the pilot. Is the pilot a boy or a girl?" She looks at the Commander.

Commander Skylark shrugs. "I don't know. We were unable to obtain any information on the pilot."

Maj. Valqua closes his eyes while breathing in deeply and exhaling out. "Let's not worry too much about that now. We'll find out when we meet the pilot."

Dr. Florence is standing next to the MAGI System and he's been overhearing everything that's been said. "Exactly."

Everyone then looks at him.

Dr. Florence walks towards everyone and stops next to Maj. Valqua. "Now, I'm going to be working on the MAGI Systems and I'll check for any abnormalities."

Commander Skylark nods at Dr. Florence. "Good. You can do that." She looks at Maj. Valqua. "Major. You can go home and inform Rivka about the news." She then looks at everyone. "Let's all keep in mind that we don't know exactly when the pilot will be arriving. That was another thing that the Committee neglected to tell us. But that won't get in our way with what we must do. If there's another angel attack, we will handle it normally, right?"

Everyone then nod in agreement.

Maj. Valqua starts to walk away from everyone. "Alright. I'm going to go tell Rivka. See you all tomorrow."

Everyone says goodbye to Jerry and he then heads home. He soon gets to the apartment and he sees Rivka watching television in the living room while eating a hamburger.

Jerry walks up to her from behind the couch. "Seems like you're doing well." He then looks down at her left arm. "How's your arm?"

Rivka looks at her arm while still chewing a piece of the hamburger. "It's a little sore...but that's only because of fencing practice." She swallows and looks up at him while smiling.

Jerry laughs and looks at her. "Ok." He then gets serious and looks at the television. "Well, I have something important to tell you."

Rivka keeps looking at him with a concerned expression. "What is it?"

Jerry looks down and sighs. He then looks at her. "The Committee is sending us another pilot."

Rivka is surprised and gets up while putting the rest of the hamburger down. "What?" She puts her right hand over her chest. "Are they replacing me? What for?"

Jerry panics for a moment and waves his hand in front of her, so that he can calm her down. "No, no, no. You misunderstood me. You're not being replaced." He smiles a little as a way to reassure her. "The pilot they are sending is going to join us and pilot the incomplete Eva Unit 04."

Rivka calms down and sighs. She then sits back down on the couch while looking at Jerry. "Ok..." She makes a concerned expression. "Why are they sending us another pilot though? I can handle the angels all by myself."

Jerry puts his arms down and looks to the side. "It's just a precaution, that's all."

Rivka then looks at the television while making a plain expression. "As long as she isn't as bad as Asuka, I think I can accept her." She looks at him. "That seems fair, right?"

Jerry is surprised by her comment and just looks at her for a moment. He then laughs nervously and thinks to himself while looking towards the right side. "She assumed it's a girl." He sighs while still thinking to himself. "Oh great...now let's hope that she's right because I think it will be a complete different issue if it's a boy."

Rivka just looks at Jerry while wondering what he's thinking, but she quickly gets over it. She then yawns and she gets up while grabbing her plate and looks back at Jerry. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." She walks to the kitchen and quickly washes her plate. She then walks towards her room.

Jerry watches her walk away. "See you in the morning." He then turns off the television and walks to his room.

A few hours pass and we see off the shore of California, a navy ship is heading towards land. Inside the ship, there's a teenage boy in a dark room and he's sleeping while being in a bit of a field position. He's then woken up by a voice from the intercom that's calling him to the deck. He wakes up with a yawn while getting up and quickly gets ready. He then leaves the room and soon reaches the deck and sees the Captain of the ship waiting for him.

The boy solutes with his right hand while looking at the Captain and he tries not to yawn. "You called, sir?"

The captain nods. "Yes. We have almost reached land. Get your things together. You will be taken to the airport as soon as we land. You have all the necessary paperwork, correct?"

The boy thinks to himself for a moment while rolling his eyes. He then responds with a bit of a sarcastic tone as he puts his hand down. "Yes, sir."

The captain talks in a serious tone while making an irritated expression. "You shouldn't be so disrespectful to a commanding officer. Remember who you're representing."

The boy looks at the captain with an intense glare. "I don't need you to tell me that. I know."

The captain looks back at him with intensity. "And you better not forget it, soldier."

The boy keeps looking at the captain intensely. He then turns around and walks away while mumbling to himself. "Whatever." He then smirks.

From that point, time continues to pass and before everyone knows it, it's Friday. This is the day of the BIG double date and sadly for Rivka, the school day ended very quickly. Both of them are at Rivka's house to see what she should wear. It's currently 4:30 PM and they're talking about what Rivka is going to wear.

Rivka's sitting on her bed while looking at Betty, who's rummaging through Rivka's closet, as Rivka's making a depressed expression. "Why do I have to wear a dress? I'm not even interested in this date."

Betty looks at her. "Because I don't want you to stick out from us. Jonny and Max are going to wear tuxes, so we need to wear dresses." She then looks back into the closet and bends over to look in deeper.

Rivka says with an annoyed tone. "Who came up with that stupid idea? I know it wasn't you since you know I don't like wearing dresses."

Betty stays focus on looking in the closet while saying. "Well...Jonny wanted to see me in a dress and I didn't want my dad to be suspicious about me wearing a dress." She looks at her while still bending over as she makes a sad expression. You know how my dad is about me wearing dresses. He always thinks that me wearing a dress means that I'm planning to do it with someone."

Rivka does her best not to laugh while looking away. She then says with a strained tone due to her trying not to laugh. "Your dad is irrational."

Betty looks back into the closet while still in the same position. "I know, and Max only agreed because he knew you would have to wear a dress. He said that if you don't wear a dress, then he won't go out with us."

Rivka gets pissed off and quickly looks at Betty. She then screams. "Your brother is an asshole!" She then gives out an annoyed sigh while looking towards the ceiling and she yells out. "All these damn stipulations are making me sick!" She then falls backwards onto her bed while having her arms spread out.

Betty's still looking in the closet while saying in a sad tone. "I know, but please just bear with it." She then suddenly gasps and yells out. "I found it! I found the perfect dress for you!" She then stands up straight and turns around while holding a sparkling green dress in front of her as she's smiling. "I didn't know you had such a cute dress!"

Rivka looks at it while slowly sitting up. She then sighs and looks away. "I got it for my birthday." Her eyes then widen and she quickly looks at Betty. "Wait!" She then points at the dress with her left hand. "You want me to wear it?"

Betty nods while smiling. "Yup!" She then walks up to Rivka and holds the dress up to her. "Please, Rivka!"

Rivka groans while putting her hand down and gets up. She then yells out. "Oh, alright!" She suddenly grabs the dress with both hands and just looks at it while being a bit annoyed.

Betty jumps out of joy while clasping her hands together as she holds them up next to the right side of her face. "Yay! Thank you, Rivka!"

Rivka's still a bit annoyed while sighing. She then says with a sad tone. "You're welcome..."

Betty puts her hands down as she keeps looking at Rivka while still smiling. "Let's get ready. I brought my dress with me." She suddenly reaches into her pocket and pulls out her cellular. She then looks at it. "My brother will be picking us up at 6:00 PM and he's bringing Jonny with him." She looks at Rivka again while putting her cellular back into her pocket. "We better hurry."

Rivka looks towards the side while sighing. She then looks at Betty. "Alright."

They both get ready and soon are heading out with Max and Jonny. During that same time, a boy had already arrived in Carson City earlier in the day and was getting to know the area. He was walking in town while trying to look for something to do and he was extremely bored at the same time. As he was trying to find something to do, he gets hungry and decides to go into a restaurant. At the exact moment he enters, Max pulls his car up in front of the restaurant and everyone gets out of the car.

As Rivka's getting out of the car, she yells at Max while she has an upset expression. "Don't mess with me, Max!" She points at him while standing next to the car. "If you touch my ass one more time, I'm going to kill you!"

Max just looks at her while standing on the other side of the car. "Oh, lighten up." He laughs while he walks around the car and towards Rivka.

Rivka puts her arm down while glaring at him as he walks towards her. "Lighten up?" She clenches her right hand into a fist and lifts up her arm. "I'll show you "lighten up!" She's about to punch him in the face but Betty interferes.

Betty grabs Rivka's fist with both hands and talks in a concerned tone. "Calm down, Rivka. Let's just go inside and get something to eat."

Jonny stands next to Betty and nods. "Yeah. Just be cool."

Rivka looks at Betty and starts to calm down. She then groans while looking away. "Ok..." She makes Betty let go of her hand and puts her hand down. She then turns around and walks towards the entrance.

They all go in the restaurant and find themselves a table that's located in the middle of the restaurant and there's only one table that's right next to it, which is currently occupied. Rivka has to sit in the chair that's next to the one that Max chooses because Betty wants to sit next to Jonny. Obviously, Rivka doesn't like it, but she deals with it. Only ten minutes pass by and Rivka feels like killing herself as they all wait for their food. This is due to Max's continued attempt of touching her. She just hopes that he'll finally stop and she'll get some peace. (For your information, Max is sitting on the seat on the left and Rivka is on the right. Betty is sitting in front of Rivka and Jonny is in front of Max)

Betty looks around while being amazed. "This is such a cool place." She then looks at Jonny. "I don't normally eat that much Italian food, let alone eat in an Italian restaurant." She then smiles at him"

Jonny smiles at her. "You should because that way you can become more use to the food that I normally eat. And use to what I'll be making you in the future." He then winks at her.

Betty blushes while still smiling. "Yeah, you're right."

Max sighs while rolling his eyes as he's holding his head up with his right hand. "Oh brother." He then looks at both of them. "Quit it with the mushy crap. I don't want to hear it."

Rivka gets very annoyed at Max's comment and glares at him. "Why don't you shut up?" She then points at Betty while still glaring at Max. "Your sister is happy to be here with Jonny..." She then points her hand at Max. "And you have to go and try to ruin it!"

Max rolls his eyes again and chuckles. He then looks at Rivka while leaning towards her as he puts his right hand down. "Let me remind you of something, Rivka. The only reason I came was not to let anything happen between my little sister and Jonny."

Rivka coughs in disbelief while grabbing onto her throat with the hand she was pointing with and gets even more annoyed. "Don't give me that crap!" She then puts her hand down. "You're only here because you wanted to go out with me! Which, this will be the last time you'll EVER have a date with me!" She then turns her body and looks away while crossing her arms.

Max says with an arrogant tone while turning his body to face her. He then puts his left hand on her left shoulder. "Oh come on, Rivka. You know that you want me, so drop the act."

Rivka gags and turns around with an annoyed expression. "What?" She points to herself and then at him as she says the following. "Me, want you?" She puts her arm down. "You have to be on crack or something!"

Max laughs and touches the left side of Rivka's face with the back of his left hand. "Look. If you want me to bang you, all you had to do was ask.

Rivka smacks his hand with her right hand and yells at him. "Don't touch me! And you have to be freaking crazy to think I want to do anything like that with you!"

Betty gets mad and gets out of her chair while looking at Max. "Quit it, Max! You're going to far with your comments!"

Jonny looks up at Betty. He then looks at Max with a disappointed expression. "Yeah, dude. Just knock it off."

Max looks at the both of them and shrugs. He then puts his right arm around Rivka. "I'm just speaking the truth." He looks at Rivka while smiling. "Right, Rivka?"

Rivka gets really pissed off while turning red and yells. "I'm going to kick your ass!" Rivka pushes Max's arm off her and she throws a punch at Max with her left fist, but it's caught by a teenage boy's left hand. He's sitting all by himself at the table that's right next to them, which happened to be behind Rivka and Max while sitting right behind Rivka. She then gets even more pissed off because he stopped her. "Hey! Let me go!"

The boy calmly lets go of Rivka's hand and he gives her a calm smile while he slightly tilts his head to the right. "Don't be too hasty. They're already thinking of kicking you out for being so loud. You don't want to leave before eating, right?"

Rivka glares at him while still being upset as she holds her left hand. "Well, you didn't have to grab my hand like that!" She looks at Max with an angry glare. "Anyway, he was asking for it!"

The boy gently grabs Rivka's chin with his right hand and makes her look at him while still talking calmly and having a sincere expression. "I'm sorry and I can understand how you feel, but sometimes it's better to restrain yourself and not let tedious remarks get to you. As long as you know what he said isn't true then it shouldn't bother you and you don't need to be doing things that can get you into trouble." He then smiles at her.

Rivka just looks at him while making a shocked expression and she's unable to say anything as she blushes slightly.

Max looks at the guy while making an annoyed expression and yells at him. "Hey! Why don't you mind your own business?" He points at him. "And get your hand off her!"

The boy looks at him while making a calm expression and lets go of Rivka's chin. He then puts his right hand under his chin and holds up his head with it. "Why don't you just grow up? It's embarrassing just to be around you."

Rivka snaps out of it and starts to laugh while looking at the boy. "I know, right?"

Betty and Jonny are trying not to laugh while watching them. Betty then decides to sit back in her chair.

Max gets pissed off and points at the boy with his right index finger as he yells out. "You son of a bitch! I'm warning you! Get lost or I'll kick your stupid ass!"

The boy laughs softly for a moment. He then says with a confident tone. "A person with your intelligence couldn't win a fight even against a roach." He keeps smiling.

Rivka, Betty and Jonny all laugh at the same time.

Max gets even more pissed off and his face starts to turn red. "You asked for it!" He then leans forward and throws a punch at the boy.

As the punch heads towards the boy, he suddenly leans backwards and dodges Max's punch while staring intensely at Max.

Max becomes shocked as he yells out. "What the hell?"

The boy then glances at Rivka while smiling at her. "I hope you enjoy this."

Rivka's eyes widen while looking at the boy as she says with a confused tone. "Enjoy what?"

The boy pulls his right leg back as his attention is now focus on Max. He then kicks Max right in the face while still smiling.

Max falls backwards onto the floor and just lays there without moving.

Betty gets startled as she gets up and yells out. "Oh my God! Max!" She then rushes to her brother and kneels down next to him.

Jonny makes a surprised expression while yelling out as well. "Holy shit!" He then gets up and goes to Max while making a worried expression.

Rivka looks at Max while he's on the floor and she has a surprised expression. She then looks at the boy, who is sitting up straight, and she smiles at him while saying with an excited tone. "Wow! That was amazing!"

The boy continues to smile. He then looks at Max and leans towards him while saying with a smart-ass tone. "Did you learn your lesson?"

Max groans a bit while still not moving much.

The boy then tilts his head to the left while smiling. "I guess you might have learned something, but who knows if you did or not." He then straightens his head and shrugs. "Oh well."

A male worker then walks up towards them while having an upset expression and yells out. "Hey! He then points towards Max with his right hand. "Do you realize what you just did?"

The boy looks at the worker with a plain expression while scratching his head with his left hand. "I kicked him in the face. That's what I did." He then smiles in an arrogant way

Rivka closes her eyes and giggles. She then opens her eyes and looks at the boy again.

The male worker looks at both of them and talks with an upset tone. "You think this is funny? That's it!" He then looks at everyone. "All of you, get out." He points out the door as he says that last part.

Jonny looks at the worker while having an upset expression "Hey, wait a minute!"

The male worker points at Jonny. "Shut it!" He then points at the door again and yells. "Out!"

Betty gets up and grabs Jonny's arm while pulling it. "Forget about it, Jonny. Just help my brother to his car and let's leave."

Jonny sighs while pointing his head downward. "Oh, alright." He then quickly helps Max up and takes him to the car while saying. "Come on, Betty."

Betty nods. "Ok." She then looks at Rivka. "Let's go, Rivka."

Rivka looks back at her while getting up. "I'll be right there."

Betty shrugs while having a concerned expression. "Ok...but don't take to long." She then follows Jonny and Max out the exit.

The boy looks at the worker while getting up. "Check, please." He smiles.

The male worker rolls his eyes while sighing. He then looks directly at the boy with a serious expression. "Alright, but pay your bill and get out!" He then walks away.

Rivka leans towards the boy a little while having her hands behind her back. "That was quite impressive." She then smiles. "What happen to self-restraint?" She then giggles a little.

The boy turns towards her and smiles at her. "That was self-defense. So it was fine."

Rivka giggles again as she looks away for a moment. She then looks back at the boy while reluctantly saying. "Well...thanks. Now I won't have to worry about him bothering me for a while."

The boy keeps smiling while saying. "You're welcome." He then puts his hands in his pockets.

The male worker walks up to the boy and hands him the check. "Here's your check."

The boy pulls out some money and hands it to the worker while looking at him. "I already figured out that this is the exact amount to pay for both the food and the tip." He then smiles. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

The male worker shakes his head in disapproval while lowering his head as his eyes are closed. "Just leave." He then turns and walks away"

The boy shrugs and puts his hand that he paid with back in his pocket. He then walks towards and out the exit.

Rivka follows him and once she gets outside, she sees that Jonny and Betty are trying to help Max regain his composure as they are sitting on the front part of the car. She then looks at the boy while stopping and says to him. "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

The boy stops walking and turns around to look at her as well. "I guess so." He then makes a curious expression. "What's your name again?"

Rivka gets caught off guard for a bit and then smiles. "My name is Rivka."

The boy pauses for a moment as he makes a curious expression while looking up at the sky. He then thinks to himself. "Rivka, huh?" He then smiles and looks at her while saying. "It was nice meeting you, Rivka." He then turns to face sideways. "I hope our paths cross again someday soon. Bye." He then turns completely around and starts walking away while still having his hands in his pockets.

Rivka continues to smile for a moment. She then makes a shocked expression out of the realization of something and shouts to the boy. "Hey, wait! You didn't tell me your name!"

The boy turns his head to the left so he can see her while still walking away and shouts out with a smile. "It's Nero!"

Rivka smiles again and then waves to him. "Goodbye, Nero!"

Nero takes his right hand out of his pocket and does a short wave. "Bye!" He then puts his hand back into his pocket and turns his head to look in front of him as he keeps walking away.

Rivka keeps on smiling and turns to the others. "I'm tired, you guys. I want to go home now." She then giggles while closing her eyes.

Betty and Jonny look at each other with a bit of a surprised expression. They then both look at her and nod.

They all get in the car and Max finally is able to drive. Even though he was complaining the entire time about Nero, Rivka didn't mind since she wasn't really paying attention. She was only thinking about what happened and Nero. The night ends with a smiling Rivka and the future looking bright, even though the future isn't always so great.

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

As a person, I have my own confrontations and sometimes it isn't easy to deal with them. Sometimes it's good to ignore those confrontations if possible, but if you aren't able to ignore them, you can at least kick some ass! I found it funny how I made Rivka believe that the pilot is going to be a girl. That's why it's better not to assume because you can seriously look pretty damn stupid for assuming. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this episode because I really liked writing it, even though I had to make multiple changes to it and it took me a long ass time to do it. I thank my friend Kevin for proof reading these episodes for me. I really do appreciate it. I've improved on the length, but I'm not sure if I'll always be improving in length. I'll do my best to make the next episode more entertaining and have some more conflicts. As time moves on, it gets harder to stick to a story line that I will be satisfied with.

Character Description:

Obviously, you know who they are.

Chairmen Kiel Lorenz - age 60 (I'm guessing), Japanese, he has light skin, he weighs 150, average body size, white short hair that's comb backwards, can't tell what eye color he has because of his visor and he's 5'8"

Associates: their ages range between 40 and 60 (Not too sure), Japanese, everything else varies

Abigail Lockhart (Sensei) - age 29, American, light skin, weighs 125, slim, light purple long wavy hair, hazel bluish/green eyes. 5'7" and once again for all the perverts out there, She has size 34D jugs and a nice ass (I bet all you guys are liking the D sizes *Laughs*)

Nero Akaya: age 14, Japanese, has a very slight build and is kind of slim, weighs 140, black short hair (He has it spiked downward through out all sides), light brown eyes and he's 5'5" (My favorite character in this story *Laughs*)

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	4. Episode 4

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

As I read my episodes over and over again, I realize that I have to make many changes to work with the image that's in my head and to have a better description for my readers. I will continue to make changes to the episodes as I see fit. So far, I have only one friend, whose name is Kevin, helping me out with the episodes. I think in that case, I'll be doing better in my episodes and capture the true image that I want to display. I have a lot of ideas for this episode and I'm probably going to have to change this episode a good number of times. Well, wish me luck.

Episode 4: The 7th Child

After her experience from Friday-night had ended, Rivka had gone through an entire Saturday doing nothing but think about what happened. She didn't go out that day and then came Sunday, which is her regular day to go to the 2nd Branch to work on her piloting skills. She arrives there with her head in the clouds and doesn't acknowledge anyone. Rivka quickly heads to the locker room and changes into her plugsuit. She then walks to the entry plug and soon gets in it. Her training starts while Dr. Florence (William), Lt. Mina (Dana) and Major Valqua (Jerry) are monitoring her progress from an isolated room that has a giant, plexiglas for them to see Rivka's entry plug.

Dana's currently sitting down in front of a computer as it's showing Rivka's progress and status. "Everything looks normal. Her sync ratio keeps randomly raising and dropping, but it doesn't go any higher than 70% or lower than 60%. There are no abnormalities. She looks both mentally and physically fit."

William walks up next to Dana, leans forward to see the information being displayed on the monitor and then talks with a concerned tone. "Then why does it seem like she's being bother by something? Her sync ratio was almost 80% when she was fighting the angel. That shouldn't go away just like that." He looks at Dana with an intense expression.

Dana peers at William with worry dwelling from within her. "Well..." She focuses on the screen. "It would be understandable for it to go back down since Rivka's no longer in danger and doesn't feel any anger at the moment. I believe that could have caused the increase in synchronization."

William sighs and turns his attention back to the computer screen. "That's terrible. We can't depend on Rivka's anger to give us victories against the angels over and over. No wonder the Committee will be sending us that other pilot."

Jerry stands behind the two of them as he was listening to their conversation while intently watching the entry plug. "Rivka could also be like this because of the fact that there's another pilot coming."

William quickly turns his head while straightening his posture. "That's right. You told her about that already." He looks back at the screen. "That could have some affect on her, but I don't know why it would make such a difference."

Dana turns her chair around to face Jerry. "You don't think that's all?"

Jerry diverts his eyes to the left without saying a word and thinks, "It could have something to do with that. But it also does have to do with Rivka's anger during that last battle. She won't be able to unlock much more of her potential without being mad since it did ring results last time... But it's true. That isn't what makes a pilot truly strong."

William acknowledges Jerry's silence and maintains his eyes on the screen. "We won't know for sure until the pilot arrives. Once the pilot is here, we will see if Rivka can reach 80% without any worries or any rage."

Jerry looks at William and then lets out a depressing sigh. Afterwards, Jerry scratches his head with his left hand while putting his other hand on his waist. "Good idea. Let's not stress too much about it." He then puts both his hands down. "Tell Rivka that we're done with our analysis and that she can go home."

Dana nods and turns around to focus on the computer. "Rivka!"

Rivka's voice comes through the intercom while sounding kind of concerned. "Yeah?"

Dana smiles. "You're done for the day. You can go home now."

Happiness takes over as Rivka says with a joyful tone, "Alright!"

William turns around and walks up to Jerry. "Do you think it's actually fine to leave it like that?"

Jerry nods with a sympathetic look. "It's alright. Let's not concern ourselves with this too much."

William looks at Jerry with disbelief and then sighs while shrugging. "If you say so."

Jerry smiles. "Trust me." He then looks over at Dana. "What's the update on Eva Unit 04?"

Dana glances at Jerry for a moment, looks back at the computer and then starts to type for the answer. After doing that, she reads what shows up. "Thomas is with the mechanics right now and he's getting the update on the Eva." She turns to look at Jerry. "Although, they also had to fix the damaged Eva Unit 05. It seems like it will take them a bit longer than we thought for the completion of Unit 04."

Jerry sighs, walks up to Dana and looks over her shoulder to see the information that's being showed. "We'll just have to hope that we won't need the help of that Eva and that Rivka can handle the next angel attack. I predict that it won't be much longer until that happens."

Worry appears on Dana's expression. "Please don't say that! The last thing I want is another angel attack!"

William looks at Dana with seriousness resonating within his eyes. "It can't be helped if it does happen. So don't be sadden by the thought of that happening. We must all be strong for that moment."

Dana groans. "Alright..."

Jerry smiles at Dana. "We should actually be more positive about the current situation. We are getting another pilot to help out after all."

William walks towards a wall that's to the right of the room and leans his back against it while still looking at the others. "True. It's not like the pilot that the Committee's sending is not going to be doing anything."

Dana responds with a concerned tone while focused on William. "But that's not the point of our concern. The Committee's sending us someone we don't even know. For all we know, that person would be here to watch us."

William contemplates what Dana said for a moment and then replies. "That could be true, but we went through sort of the same thing with Rivka when she was chosen to be a pilot, and it turned out pretty well." He chuckles.

Dana gets stressed out. "But at least you guys had information on Rivka when she joined the 3rd Branch! There's no information in our possession about this pilot!" She gestures with her right hand extended a little. "We don't even know if the pilot is a he or a she!"

Jerry laughs and stands straight with his eyes locked on Dana. "That reminds me; Rivka thinks the new pilot is a girl. I didn't even say it was a girl." He then smiles at Dana.

Dana lightly smiles while calming down. "That's the way teenage girls are like. They always think that a person that they will meet is going to be a girl, unless they're thinking in dating terms."

Jerry continues to smile. "It's obvious that she wouldn't think of that. I haven't actually ever heard her say anything about dating." He thinks to himself while looking upward. "I really do wonder how she would react to the pilot if it is a guy." Jerry gives out a short laugh to himself while still thinking. "In some way, it might be worse than another Asuka..." He then pauses for a short moment and mutters, "Or maybe not as worse, but it would still be a pain." Jerry chuckles again.

The three of them continue to talk as the day keeps moving forward. In the meantime, Rivka has arrived at the apartment as she's watching television in the living room while sitting on the couch. She soon gets tired of watching television and decides to call Betty while turning off the television with the remote in her left hand.

Betty answers with a curious tone. "Hello?"

Rivka smiles while holding her cellular up to her right ear with the other hand. "Hey, it's me."

Betty immediately gets excited. "Hey, Rivka! I haven't talked to you since Friday. How are you doing?"

Rivka lies down on the couch while putting the remote down on the table that's in front of the couch and stares at the ceiling. "I know... I was thinking about what happened and I forgot to call you yesterday. Oh, and I'm doing fine by the way."

Betty laughs softly. "So... Were you thinking of that guy?"

Rivka's briefly stunned by Betty's question and then instantly sits up. "What?! No! I wasn't thinking about him at all!"

Betty giggles. "You're not telling me the truth. Come on, Rivka. Be honest."

Rivka groans while glancing to the side that the television is as she blushes slightly. "Uhhh... Okay... Maybe a little bit."

Betty happily shouts out, "I knew it!"

Rivka smiles nervously. "Alright, alright... I admit it." She looks down in front of her. "Anyway, how's your brother?" Rivka laughs softly.

Betty giggles again. "How's my brother?! You should ask how my dad is doing! He saw Max and got so mad that Max isn't even allowed to go out for a week! My dad said, and I quote, you were supposed to be an example of maturity, not an idiot who gets his ass kicked by a stranger."

Rivka laughs even more. "Wow! Your dad actually said that! That's so freaking funny!"

Betty responds with content. "Yeah, and if you think that's funny, you should see Max's face! He has a bruise that's shaped like a shoe print!" She starts to laugh uncontrollably.

Rivka smiles and laughs even harder. "Whoa! Nero must have kicked him pretty hard!"

Betty stops laughing and gasps. "You remembered his name?!"

Rivka slaps her hand onto her face while blushing slightly and then says with a hesitant tone, "Uh... Yeah... So what?" She puts her hand down while trying to regain her composure.

Another gasp escapes Betty's mouth and then asks with a firm tone, "You like him, don't you?!"

Rivka blushes again while being very surprised and then talks with a defensive tone. "No! I don't even know him, Betty! I would never be interested in a guy I just met!"

Betty giggles once again. "But you do. You can't hide it, Rivka." She then sighs. "If only you had gotten his number, then that whole 'I don't even know him' crap wouldn't be an excuse."

Rivka gets a bit annoyed. "The point is that I don't like him and I doubt I will ever see him again. So, just drop it."

Betty promptly says with a sarcastic tone, "Okay... Whatever you say, Rivka."

Rivka sighs while slouching forward. "You don't believe me, do you?"

Betty laughs. "Nope, but I'll humor you." She continues to laugh.

Rivka rolls her eyes. "Fine..."

Betty stops laughing. "Hey, I have to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I have something to tell you at school, okay?"

Rivka's a bit confused, but shrugs it off. "Okay. Bye, Betty."

Betty says with a happy tone, "Bye!"

Rivka hangs up and then stretches. After doing that, she gets up, prepares herself something to eat, finishes eating after several minutes and goes to the bathroom to take a shower. Once she's done and gets out of the bathroom, Rivka notices that Jerry's home as he's looking inside the refrigerator.

Rivka stands in front of the bathroom door while wearing a pink blouse that matches with the shorts she's also wearing. After watching Jerrry for a few seconds, Rivka plants her left hand on her hip while holding a small, green towel in her other hand. "Hey."

Jerry stops looking at the fridge and turns around to look at Rivka as he's still wearing his uniform. "Oh, hey. I didn't notice that you got out of the shower." He turns his attention back to the fridge.

Rivka smiles while walking into the kitchen without veering her eyes away from Jerry. "Yeah. Are you looking for something to eat?"

Jerry nods while intently searching the confines of the fridge. "Uhuh, it seems like we're almost out of food."

Rivka holds up her towel and uses it to dry her hair. She then walks to the table and sits down with the towel now on the table. "There's some food that I prepared on the stove."

Jerry turns to the stove, walks up to it and looks at Rivka. "Thanks." He returns his attention to the food and serves himself. Jerry then goes to the table, sits in front of Rivka and starts to eat. "So... How was your day?" He looks up at her while chewing his food.

Rivka rests her back against the chair and shrugs. "It was alright, I guess."

Jerry continues to eat. "Looking forward to school tomorrow?"

Rivka looks away. "Kind of..." She looks back at him with a small amount of seriousness being displayed. "Have you heard anything about when the new pilot will be here?"

Jerry smiles at her. "Why? Are you interested in the new pilot?"

Rivka glares at him. "I'm just wondering if she's here yet?"

Jerry pauses for a moment while looking to the side and then looks back at her. "The pilot hasn't arrived yet." He thinks while gazing at his food. "She's still assuming that the pilot's a girl." Jerry then looks at the ceiling while sighing and thinks, "I'm really starting to wonder what would happen if it's not a girl."

Rivka blinks with confusion overtaking her expression. "What are you thinking about?"

Jerry looks at Rivka and hesitates for a moment while laughing in a nervous way. "Uhhh... Nothing." He then puts his left hand behind his head and nervously laughs again.

Rivka slants her head to the left. "Okay..." She looks at the time and then back to Jerry. "Well, it's getting late. I'm going to bed." She gets up and turns towards her room, which is on the left side of the apartment.

Jerry puts his hand down and nods with a light smile on his face. "Alright, goodnight."

Rivka waves at him while walking to her room. "Goodnight."

The day ends and it's now Monday morning as Rivka has no trouble getting up. She puts on her uniform and then heads to school. It doesn't take Rivka long to get to her class with a couple of minutes to spare before the bell rings.

Rivka walks into the room and sees Betty sitting in her desk, which causes her to smile. "Hey."

Betty looks at Rivka and smiles. "Hey!" She then pauses for a moment while giggling. "Are you still thinking about that guy?"

Rivka retorts with a hint of irritation in her voice. "Knock it off! I told you to drop it!" She leans towards Betty while standing in front of her best friend's desk.

Betty leans against her seat while trying not to laugh. "I know, but I can't help it. I'm amazed that you actually like a guy." She keeps on smiling.

Rivka makes a confused expression with irritation still being present. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Betty gets closer to Rivka while cheerfully smiling. "You usually aren't interested in any guys at school. You don't even acknowledge any of the cute guys we see when we go out."

Rivka sighs. "It's because all those guys are morons." She pauses for a moment while looking away and then quickly snaps her head to look at Betty as she blushes slightly. "Hey! I never said I liked Nero!"

Betty smiles again and points at Rivka with her left hand. "See? You still remember his name? That's proof!"

Rivka blushes a bit more. "How's that proof?! I remember your stupid brother's name and I hate his guts!"

Betty gives Rivka a sinister smile. "Yeah, but you don't hate Nero, do you?"

Rivka sighs with her eyes shut while calming down a bit. "True, but that doesn't mean I like him the way you make it out to be."

Betty giggles. "I still don't believe you."

Rivka groans a little while rolling her eyes as the bell rings at that exact moment. She then goes to her desk that's to the left of Betty's desk and sits in it while facing the board. "Just drop it."

Betty turns her attention to the board as well while getting comfortable in her seat. "Oh, okay..."

Rivka stares at the board for a moment and then realizes something that makes her look at Betty again. "Hey, what was that thing you were going to tell me?"

Confusion takes over as Betty makes eye contact with Rivka. "What thing?"

Rivka sighs while slightly tilting her head to the right. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you forgot. You should have just told me on the phone." She turns her focus back to the board while holding her head up with her right hand.

Betty stares at Rivka for a moment with a dumbfounded expression. She then suddenly gasps and smiles shortly afterwards. "Oh! Now, I remember!"

Rivka glances at Betty. "What is it?"

Betty answers while still smiling as she's leaning a bit towards Rivka. "I heard that there's a new student."

Rivka raises her eyebrows without diverting her eyes from Betty. "Really?"

Betty nods. "Yup, but nobody knows if the new student is a he or a she. It's sort of a mystery."

Some concern shows itself on Rivka's face. "That's odd. How long did you know about this?"

Betty leans a bit more towards Rivka. "Since yesterday. People say that the new student will start school today."

Rivka's eyes stay locked onto Betty while curiosity comes forth. "Which class will the new student be in?"

Before Betty has a chance to answer, the teacher walks into the classroom and everyone greets him. Rivka and Betty greet him as well, which results in their conversation ending right there. The teacher is a middle age man with red hair, light skin and green eyes while wearing a white buttoned shirt and grey pants. *Quick description because he's not too important.*

The teacher stands in front of the chalk board with a composed demeanor. "Good morning, class. Today we have a new student."

Rivka and Betty look at each other with an immense amount of surprise being displayed. They then quickly turn their attention back to the teacher.

The teacher smirks. "So, please be respectful to him and welcome him to our class." He turns to his left, which is where the door is located, and calls out. "You can come in and introduce yourself."

Nero enters, walks up to the teacher and turns to face the class. "Hello, everyone." He puts his hands in his pockets and contentedly smiles. "My name is Nero Akaya. It's nice to meet you all."

Rivka's overcome with disbelief and shock. She then hurriedly gets up from her seat while leaning on her desk to get a better look of Nero and thinks to herself, "It's him! I can't believe he's the new student!" Rivka looks at Betty out of the corner of her eyes with shock still being present.

Meanwhile, Betty's also shocked to see Nero, but then looks at Rivka and makes a devilish smile when she sees Rivka's expression. "Look who's here." She giggles while still smiling.

Rivka glares at Betty and shouts. "Shut up!"

That outburst causes the teacher to direct his attention to Rivka and asks with a stern tone, "Is there a problem, Ms. Genster?"

Rivka quickly looks at the teacher with a nervous expression as she stands next to her desk. "Huh?! Oh, it's nothing, sir!"

Betty giggles quietly while watching Rivka and thinks, "Busted."

The teacher nods. "Good." He then turns his head to Nero. "You can sit down in front of Rivka Genster." The teacher points at Rivka with his right hand.

Rivka's eyes widen out of surprise as she double-takes between the teacher and Nero. She then thinks while trying to compose herself with her head lowered a little. "He's going to sit in front of me?"

Nero looks directly at Rivka and nods. "That's fine with me." He casually walks up to his desk and smiles at Rivka while standing next to it. "Good to see you again."

Rivka smiles back at Nero in a shy way while turning red a little. "Yeah, me too."

Nero sits down and calmly looks at the board.

Rivka sits back down with her eyes locked onto Nero from behind while Betty leans towards Rivka and whispers, "Me too." She giggles.

In response, Rivka gets annoyed again and glares at Betty while whispering, "Shut up!"

Betty nonchalantly smiles. "Okay." She then turns to look at the board.

In the meantime, Nero turns his head to the right to look at Rivka with an amused smile. "What did I tell you about restraint?"

Rivka returns her gaze to Nero and smiles slightly. "I know. I'm working on it."

Nero nods without losing his smile. "Good." He then turns to face the board again.

Rivka keeps smiling as she's looking at Nero's back and thinks, "I can't believe he's here... In the same class as me." She bites her lips while putting her right hand under her chin to hold her head up. "This is going to be nice." Rivka then pauses for a moment and looks down at her desk with a confused expression. "Did I just think that?" She looks at Nero again and sighs while moving her right hand to her right cheek.

The school day continues on and now it's their athletic hour as all the students are outside, wearing their mandatory purple shorts and grey t-shirt. The students have the choice of running the track, playing basketball, playing volleyball, playing soccer, swimming or just observing everyone else. (Of course, those who do nothing will lose points) Rivka had just finished a game of volleyball and is resting against a a large, metal fence that goes around the volleyball court. She watches the other girls play while talking to Betty who's to her left and Jonny who's sitting next to Betty

Jonny looks at Rivka with mild curiosity. "So, Rivka. Betty tells me that you like that Nero guy."

Irritation immediately appears on Rivka's face as she looks at Betty while blushing a little. "Betty...!"

Betty covers her mouth while giggling with her eyes on Rivka and then puts her hands down. "What? Why are you blushing? I thought you didn't like him?" She smiles.

Rivka gets a bit more irritated while leaning towards Betty. "Shut it!"

Jonny sighs while looking at both of them. "Alright, enough." He directly focuses his attention on Betty. "Just stop it, okay?" Jonny then gives Betty a charming smile.

Betty looks at Jonny with a content smiles, nods and then looks at Rivka again. "Yeah... I'm sorry for pushing it."

Rivka sighs while calming herself down. "It's fine. Just promise that you won't do it again."

Betty pauses for a moment as she quickly scans her surroundings and looks at Rivka with a small amount of concern. "Hey, speaking of which, where's Nero?"

Rivka starts to look around while standing up with her left hand holding onto the fence. "I don't know."

Jonny gets on his feet with his eyes on Betty. "I heard he's swimming in the gym's pool."

Surprise takes over Rivka's expression as she gazes at Jonny. "Really?!"

Jonny looks at Rivka and nods. "Yeah."

Betty gets up while facing Rivka. "You want to go see him?"

Rivka instantly becomes defensive. "What?"

Betty smirks. "I don't mean it like that. Let's go check how he's doing?"

Rivka talks with a nervous tone while looking away. "Okay..."

Betty turns her head to the left to look at Jonny from behind herself. "You coming?"

Jonny calmly nods. "Yeah. It's not like I find this volleyball game interesting." He laughs.

Betty laughs as well. "Alright. Let's go."

The three of them all exit the volleyball court and walk to the giant gym that has the swimming pool. As soon as they enter, they all notice a huge crowd around the pool and this causes them to become quite curious. They then go through the crowd to see what's happening and were all shocked to see Nero swimming at an incredible speed.

Betty's amazed by what she's seeing with her posture slanted forward a little as she's near the edge of the pull. "Whoa! Look how fast he's swimming!"

Jonny watches Nero swimming while being to Betty's right. "That's amazing! How fast do you think he's going?"

Rivka stands to Betty's left with a content smile while being impressed by Nero's speed. "I don't know, but he sure is fast!"

Then, a man walks through the crowd and stops next to them. He's the coach of the swimming team and looks like he's in his late 30s as he's wearing a purple cap over his blond short hair with a white T-shirt beneath a purple jacket covering most of it.

The coach looks at them with a firm expression while standing to the left of Rivka. "Do you all know who that boy is?"

Rivka turns her attention towards the coach. "Yeah, his name is Nero Akaya. He's new to the school."

The coach takes off his cap with his right hand and scratches his head with the same hand. He then puts it back on with his focus on Nero swimming. "Well... He sure is making a good first impression. I want him to join our swimming team."

Betty quickly steps in front of Rivka while being surprised by the coaches words. "You want him to join the team?! Really?!"

The coach looks at Betty while smiling. "Of course." He points at Nero with his left thumb as the young man continues to swim. "Don't you see what he's capable of? He's so fast that he completed twenty laps within a minute and a half. That's roughly four and a half seconds per lap."

Shock takes over Jonny's face. "Wow! That's unbelievable! He's faster than most professional swimmers in the country!"

The coach nods. "I know. He can win us the gold medal." He looks at the pool with sadness now showing. "Unfortunately, he doesn't want to join the team."

Jonny becomes even more shocked. "What?! He can't be serious?! Why won't he join?!"

The coach shakes his head while shrugging and looking at the three teens. "I don't know. Can you convince him since you know him?"

Rivka hesitates for a moment with worry being displayed. "Well... We really don't know him too well."

Jonny starts to walk to the right side of the pool where people start swimming from while yelling out, "Oh, don't worry! I'll convince him!"

Betty raises her right hand up to try to stop him as she had gone around Rivka to stand to her right. "Wait, Jonny!"

Jonny ignores Betty and stops on the edge of the pool with his eyes locked on Nero. "Hey, Nero! Get out of the pool!"

Nero stops swimming with his back to Jonny, casually turns to face him and then quickly swims to the pool's side that Jonny's standing at.

Rivka walks up next to Jonny while having her left hand on her hip with her eyes on Nero and thinks, "I wonder why Nero won't join the team."

Nero gets out of the pool and walks up to Jonny as he's only wearing blue shorts with water dripping off his body. "What is it?" He then briefly scratches his head with his right hand and puts it back down.

Jonny talks with an upset tone and points at Nero's shorts. "Look at that! You're going that fast with shorts!" He puts his hand down. "Why won't you join the swimming team? You would be a big help to the team and actually win us a gold medal!"

Nero gives Jonny an emotionless look and puts his hands behind his head. "I don't care about that. So just mind your own business." He turns and walks away to the same side of the pool where Betty is standing.

Jonny sighs while calming down and turns his gaze to Rivka. "Can you convince him to join the team?"

Rivka stares at Nero as he's walking away and then looks at Jonny. "If he doesn't want to join, then that's it. Just leave him alone."

Jonny becomes fairly irritated by Rivka's words. "Oh, come on!"

Betty walks up to Jonny and grabs his arm while being very upset. "Knock it off, Jonny! Just let it go!" She changes her expression and talks with a sweet tone. "Come on." She pulls him to walk with her.

Jonny whines while yelling out, "But...!"

Betty looks at him while pulling on his arm. "Don't say anything. Let's go." She pulls him passed Rivka and they both walk outside.

Rivka watches them walk away. She then sees Nero walk out of the dressing room and she rushes towards him. "Hey!"

Nero looks at her while still maintaining an emotionless expression.

Rivka stops in front of him. "Sorry about that. Jonny has a lot of pride for our school."

Nero shrugs while looking away. "It's alright." He then looks at her for a moment. "I'll see you in class." He then gives her a small smile as he turns and walks away.

Rivka stares at him while he's walking away and mumbles. "See ya."

Athletics ends and then the school day moves forward to the point that it ends. Everyone leaves the classroom except Rivka, who's doing clean up duty. What she doesn't know is that someone is watching her as she cleans.

Rivka thinks to herself while sweeping the floor with a broom. "I can't believe that I completely forgot it was my turn to clean up." She sighs and looks at the ground.

Nero watches her clean while leaning against the wall that's next to the door. He has his arms crossed as he's smiling. "Looks like you're having fun."

Rivka gets startled and drops the broom. She then quickly turns around and looks at Nero while she makes a surprised expression. "What are you still doing here?"

Nero keeps smiling. "I needed to talk to you about something."

Rivka becomes confused for a moment and looks at the broom. She quickly picks it up and looks at Nero. "What is it?"

Nero is still smiling and he puts his hands in his pockets while he walks up to her. "Rivka Genster. I knew I recognized your name when you told me it on Friday night." He makes his face get close to Rivka's face.

Rivka blushes slightly while her mouth is a bit open. She then drops the broom again. "What do you mean?"

Nero tilts his head to the left while examining her face. "You're the famous 6th Child that I heard from the Committee." He smiles again. "They say that you and the 2nd Branch of NERV need my help."

Rivka becomes shocked and yells out. "Wait! You couldn't be!"

Nero softly laughs and backs up a bit from Rivka while straightening his head. "You got it. I'm the 7th Child that the Committee sent to pilot Eva Unit 04." He continues to smile.

Rivka almost falls backwards. She then becomes upset. "So, that whole thing from Friday was a set up?"

Nero flinches as he takes a step back while pulling his hands out of his pockets. He then waves his hands in front of Rivka in a nervous way. "No! I wasn't setting you up or anything like that! It was by sheer luck that we met. Honest!" He laughs nervously while scratching the back of his head with his right hand.

Rivka glares at him while placing her hands on her hips. "How do I know if you're telling the truth?"

Nero smiles while putting his left hand behind his head and keeping his right hand in the same spot. "Because I would never lie to such a smart and beautiful girl."

Rivka blinks in a confused way and then blushes while looking away with embarrassment on her face. "Ummm... Okay... I believe you." She looks at him while still blushing.

Nero nods while still smiling. "Good. I look forward to being involved with such an interesting person. I'm actually happy that I came here." He tilts his head to the right while staring at her.

Rivka looks down at the floor and keeps blushing. "Really? Well, that's nice to know." She looks up at him and smiles nervously.

Nero turns around and walks up to the door. He then turns his head to look at her. "Tomorrow after school, I'll be going to the 2nd Branch to see my Eva. Would you like to accompany me?"

Rivka hesitates for a moment. "Oh...well...ok, but we normally don't do any testing until Sunday though."

Nero shrugs while looking at her. "Well...I have to go and give your Commander some information from the Committee anyway."

Rivka gets a bit confused but brushes it off quickly. "Oh, ok."

Nero smiles. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

Rivka smiles back at him. "Ok." She then waves at him while saying with a cheerful tone. "Bye!"

Nero turns his head to look in front of him and raises his right hand to wave. He then puts both hands in his pockets and walks away.

Rivka finishes clean up duty and then heads home. She doesn't see Jerry when she gets there and she's too tired to stay up. So, she goes and takes a quick shower. She then goes to bed while still thinking about Nero, and the fact that he'll be her fellow pilot and that they're classmates. That night ends and the following school day goes by quicker than ever. Nero and Rivka then go to the 2nd Branch's HQ, where everyone is located.

Jerry turns to see Rivka and he's standing where he usually stands. "Rivka? What are you doing here?"

Commander Skylark walks in with the Sub-Commander right next to her. "Yes and why did you bring your friend with you? This isn't some place you can come to hang out."

Everyone looks at Rivka and Nero.

Nero takes a step forward while smiling and he's standing next to Rivka. "I forgot the Committee didn't give you any information on me."

Everyone is surprised while looking at Nero.

Commander Skylark looks at Norwood for a moment while having a surprised expression. She then looks at Nero. "So, you're the pilot that the Committee sent us?" She looks at Rivka. "It appears that you have already met Rivka."

Nero keeps smiling and nods. "I was given orders to enroll to the same school as her. Fortunately, I was placed in the same class as her. Although, I really doubt that was a coincidence." He laughs softly.

Commander Skylark makes a curious expression. "Oh, really? Since you're here, it will be very helpful to have your support. Tell us about yourself."

Nero sighs while rolling his eyes. He then closes his eyes for a moment and then looks at the Commander with a serious expression. "I'm not allowed to give you any information other than my name, my date of birth and what ethnic group that I'm a part of."

Commander Skylark makes a curious expression. "Is that so? What if I were to order you to tell me?"

Nero laughs while tilting his head to the left. "You can't overrule the command of the Committee. If you want to know more about me then ask them. Although, by the time they receive your request to get information on me, three months would have already passed due to how busy they are. In that case, it wouldn't even matter." He then smiles.

Rivka covers her mouth while trying not to laugh and she looks at Nero.

Jerry walks up behind Rivka and whispers into her right ear while having a serious tone. "Don't laugh. This is a serious matter."

Rivka looks at him while having a surprised expression and whispers back. "Oh, sorry." She then looks back at the one's who are talking.

Commander Skylark smiles. "You got a point there. So, tell us what you're allowed to tell."

Nero makes a serious expression while straightening his posture and he starts to talk in a serious tone again. "My name is Nero Akaya. I was born September 6th, 2001 and I'm Japanese...although, there could be the possibility of that information not being accurate because that's what the Committee gave me as my information when I was younger due to there not being any actual evidence of my birth."

Commander Skylark looks at the Sub-Commander with a concern expression, and Norwood is making a serious expression as he looks at her while nodding. She then looks back at Nero while saying. "That's good enough. Welcome to NERV's 2nd Branch. This is the holding facility for Eva Units 04 and 05." She then smiles.

Nero smiles back at her. "I'm happy to be here. By the way, I got some news that the Committee wanted me to inform you about and it involves the things that they want you to do."

Commander Skylark makes a concerned expression. "Ok. What would that be?"

Nero reaches into his left pocket and pulls out a folded up piece of paper. He then opens it with both hands and looks at everyone. "This concerns everyone as well. So, I would listen if I were you."

Everyone listens carefully at what Nero's about to say.

Nero looks at the paper and starts to read out loud the most important parts. "First off, they want you to improve on the schedule of the pilot's testing days and training."

Everyone looks at each other and talk among themselves.

Commander Skylark makes a concerned expression while placing her right hand on her hip. "Why is that?"

Nero looks up at her. "They believe that the victory Rivka obtain over your first angel battle was a narrow victory. They want a better performance and they said that there should be two testing days a week and two physical training days. I heard that Rivka takes fencing class on Wednesdays, right?"

Commander Skylark gives him a nod while saying. "Indeed."

Nero looks at the paper again. "Well, they want her to be taking another day of fencing class and they want me to participate in those same classes with her." He then looks at the commander again. "Also, the testing days will be taken during the weekend."

Commander Skylark looks at Rivka while making a serious expression. "Do you have any problems with that?"

Thomas (Capt. Russell) whispers to himself. "That's an understatement." He laughs to himself.

Rivka glares at Thomas while making an irritated expression. She then calms herself and looks at the Commander. "No. I have no problem with that at all." She then turns her head towards Thomas and sticks her tongue out at him due to her proving him wrong.

Commander Skylark shakes her head in disapproval. She then looks at Nero. "There you go. What else is there?"

Nero starts to read the paper again. "They expect my Eva to be done by the end of next week or they're going to cut your budget."

Thomas shouts at Nero. "That's not fair! I just saw your Eva a couple of days ago and it will take at least a month to be prepared!"

Nero looks at Thomas with a sincere face. "I'm sorry, but that's the Committee's decision and there isn't anything I can do about it"

Commander Skylark looks at Thomas. "Calm down, Capt. Russell. I guess we'll have to hustle."

Nero looks at the Commander while folding the piece of paper. "I want to see my Eva."

Commander Skylark looks at Nero and nods. "Alright. Major Valqua and Rivka will take you to see it. Is that alright?"

Nero nods while putting the folded paper in his pocket. "That's fine, but there's one more thing I have to inform you of."

Commander Skylark makes a curious expression. "What would that be?"

Nero makes a hesitant smile while he tilts his head to the right. "Well..." He scratches his head with his left hand. "The thing is...I don't really have a place to stay."

Rivka looks at him while having a shocked expression. She then gets closer to him. "You don't have a place to stay!"

Nero looks at her while giving her a plain expression. "Yeah. I'm actually staying at a shelter right now, but I can only stay there for so long."

Jerry smiles at Nero from behind Rivka. "You can stay with us."

Rivka turns her attention to Jerry while having a surprised expression. "What?! Really?!"

Jerry looks at her while smiling and he nods. "We have an extra room that he can use."

Nero gives Jerry a content smile. "Thank you."

Commander Skylark smirks. "Now with that settled, you can go see Eva Unit 04 and afterwards, you all can head home."

Nero looks at her. "Yes, Commander."

Jerry motions both of the children to follow him. "Let's go."

Nero and Rivka both smile at each other and follow Jerry.

They all go to see Eva Unit 04 and afterwards, they head home. While on their way, they got all of Nero's stuff and when they got home, the first thing they do is get the leftovers together and they start to eat at the table. Jerry has a pile of beer cans accumulating on his side. While Nero and Rivka are sitting next to each other on the other side of the table and they are watching Jerry.

Jerry yells out while being drunk and raising up a beer can. "Yeah! That's the best stuff there is!" He then lets out a loud burp.

Nero watches Jerry while having a confused expression.

Rivka looks at Nero and smiles. "Don't worry. He's a good drunk." She giggles while putting her hand over her mouth.

Nero looks at her and smiles. "I can tell. Especially, when he's been drinking an empty beer can for the pass 5 minutes." He laughs.

Rivka looks at Jerry while having a surprised expression. She then starts to laugh with Nero. "Oh my God! Really?" She keeps on laughing for a while. She then stops and grabs her juice that she has and she starts to drink it.

Jerry smiles and gets up while grabbing a couple of more cans of beer. "I'm going to bed..." He burps again while walking towards his room and points at the two children while trying not to fall over. "Now, you two don't be running off and be doing things that God wouldn't do." He keeps smiling.

Rivka is caught off guard by his comment and that makes her spit out her juice while blushing a little bit. She then looks at Jerry. "What? No way! We wouldn't do that!"

Nero leans against his chair and starts laughing.

Jerry walks into his room and yells out. "Goodnight!" He then shuts his door

Rivka and Nero both say goodnight to Jerry, although, he's already inside his room.

Nero smiles and looks at Rivka. "That was interesting."

Rivka looks at him and smiles. "Yeah, I know. So, did you like the food?"

Nero swallows the last bit of food that he had just put in his mouth. "It was pretty good!"

Rivka giggles. "That's good. We have to get some more food though."

Nero yawns while nodding. "Well, I'm going to bed." He stands up while grabbing his plate.

Rivka stops him from picking up the plate. "Don't worry about it. I'll wash them."

Nero picks up the plate and walks toward the sink. "I always wash my own plate."

Rivka smiles again and nods. "Okay."

Nero washes his plate and goes towards the door of his room, which is located on the opposite side of the apartment. "Goodnight, Rivka." He says that without looking at Rivka and he opens his door.

Rivka keeps on smiling. "Goodnight, Nero.

Nero goes into his room and shuts the door. Rivka washes her plate and Jerry's plate. She then goes to her room while thinking about how her life is going to be like while Nero is living with her. While she thinks about that, Nero is talking on his cellular with Chairmen Keel.

Chairmen Keel talks with a serious tone. "So, you gave them the news?"

Nero is leaning against the wall that's next to his desk. "Yeah, and I'm even living with the other pilot and the Major."

Chairmen Keel talks with an approval tone. "Good. Keep tabs on all of them, understand?"

Nero nods while looking down at the floor. "Yes. I understand."

Chairmen Keel clears his throat. "How did they feel about the budget cut threat?"

Nero yawns and rubs his left eye with his left hand and then puts his hand down. "There was one man in particular that was making a big deal about it, but the Commander shut him up. She seemed very professional about the whole thing." He smiles. "I guess it's her way of showing her commanding skills."

Chairmen Keel talks a bit more serious again. "Yes. It would seem so. Just make sure they don't screw anything up until our preparations are complete."

Nero looks to the side while pausing for a moment and then speaks. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Bye." Chairmen Keel then hangs up.

Nero looks at the cellular while turning it off. He then puts it on top of a desk and lays down on his bed. He's currently lying on his back as he's staring at the ceiling while his hands are behind his head and says to himself. "Things can never be simple for me, can they?" He then closes his eyes and falls asleep.

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

I'm going to try to keep this short since I'm really freaking tired. Obviously, you all can tell that there are some feelings that Rivka's starting to have for Nero, but is that a good thing? In the first battle that Eva Unit 04 will be involved in, that will be when I give you the description of the Eva, but I bet you already know what it looks like. I will also tell you why I chose to have Eva Unit 04 be apart of my story, but that's when the time comes. I hope you all enjoy this long episode and action will soon come, so don't complain too much, okay? Hopefully you all agreed.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	5. Episode 5

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

Episode 4 took me forever to finish and I think the reason for that is because I'm not that good at typing...or it could be because I'm just plain lazy. Either way, this episode is going to work out pretty well. I'm doing a bit better on my description skills, and with this improvement, everyone can get a better picture of the scene. Now, I'm betting that some of you have already realized what I'm trying to do with the whole Nero moving in with Rivka and Jerry. It's a same situation that Shinji and Misato went through with Asuka when she joined. I know, some of you are probably thinking it's a cheap knock off, but there's nothing wrong with taking something from the great creator Anno. Also, there shouldn't be any problems as long as I give him the credit he deserves *Laughs*

Episode 5: The 2nd Angel and Amazing Thought Process

A couple of days went by since Nero moved in, and Rivka hasn't had much of a chance to talk to him, either at home or school. Everyday, she wakes up while thinking about him and she can't understand why she's thinking of him so much. It's Friday morning and time slowly passes by. It's now 11:30 A.M. and all the students in Rivka's class are eating their lunch. Rivka finishes her lunch and looks at the clock while she's sitting in her desk.

Rivka thinks to herself while holding her head up with both of her hands as she's looking at the board. "I've been done with all the assignments for about a half hour now and I'm freaking bored out of my mind." She puts her head down on her desk while looking at her desk. She then puts her arms over her head and continue to think to herself. "The work this teacher gives out is too easy. I don't know why everyone else seem to have a hard time finishing these problems." She softly laughs to herself. "I don't even study at all and yet, all of these questions are so simple." She looks up at Nero while still having her arms over her head as he looks like he's writing and then she frowns. "Even Nero seems to have a hard time with the work. Well...I can't blame him since he just got here. He must be trying to figure out the material and he's most likely completely lost." She then smiles out of pity. "Poor, Nero." She then sighs while closing her eyes and lowering her head.

Nero hears her sigh and turns around to look at her. He then whispers while smiling. "You've been done for quite a while. That's very impressive."

Rivka smiles back at him while lifting her head up a bit. She then moves her arms to go under her chin and rest her head on them. She then whispers back at him. "Yeah, I guess. So, are you having any trouble with the assignment?"

Nero turns back around and leans against his chair while putting his hands behind his head and he looks up at the ceiling. "Nope. I've been done with all of today's work since 10:00."

Rivka's jaw drops while she sits up straight and responds in a high pitch voice. "Really?!" She then quickly covers her mouth and looks around to make sure that no one heard her.

Nero puts his hands down and leans on his desk while laughing softly. He then turns around and looks at her while smiling. "What you just did right there was really cute."

Rivka blushes while feeling embarrassed and looks away as she puts her hands down. "Don't say such embarrassing things like that."

Nero tilts his head to the left while still smiling. "Really? Well, alright. I'll try to restrain myself from making any comments that can make you feel embarrassed." He then softly laughs again.

Rivka continues to blush while still looking away. "Ok...thanks." She then glances at Nero and turns her head to look straight at him while regaining some of her composure. "So, what have you been doing because I noticed that you were still writing? I thought you said you had finished?"

Nero stops smiling and turns to look at his paper for a moment. He then turns back around to look at Rivka. "The teacher gave me all the work that I missed and I've been working on it the entire time."

Rivka smiles and says with an impressed tone. "Wow. How many assignments do you have left?"

Nero pauses for a moment while looking up as he contemplates to himself about what Rivka had asked him. He then looks at Rivka and responds with a smile. "I'm almost done."

Rivka gasps and leans forward on her desk while whispering. "That's amazing!"

Nero chuckles lightly. "I can tell you were trying your best not to use your squeaky voice." He then smiles at her again.

Rivka blushes again and then says with a defensive tone. "No, I wasn't! Just drop it, please!" She stares at him while still blushing and having a timid expression.

Nero continues to smile. "Ok. I'll stop."

Rivka sighs out of relief. "Thank you."

*Bell Rings*

The teacher stands up and stays behind his desk while looking at the students. "It's time for lunch. Remember, you all only have a half hour. So, no diddle dawdling." The students then all nod in agreement and they go to their respective groups. Rivka then says to Betty while eating a sandwich as Betty is sitting on Rivka's desk and Rivka is sitting in it. "Are you finished with the class work?"

Betty shakes her head while looking in front of her. "Everybody isn't like you, Rivka." She then looks at her. "For ordinary people, it takes them longer than a couple of hours." She then giggles.

Rivka smiles while looking at her. "Nero finished way before I did, and he's actually almost done with his make-up work too."

Betty makes a shocked expression while yelling out. "Really?!" She then takes a bite off her own sandwich and says with her mouth full. "I guess all pilots are mentally gifted." She then swallows and smiles.

Rivka shrugs while looking away from Betty. "I don't know...maybe."

Betty suddenly looks around while making a curious expression. "Hey, now that I think of it, where's Nero?"

Rivka looks at her sandwich while holding it. "I don't know."

Betty gets up off the desk and looks at Rivka. "We should go look for him. Let's see what he eats and talk to him for a bit."

Rivka sighs and closes her eyes. "Don't bother him. Just leave him be, ok?" She then takes a bite off her sandwich.

Betty groans while leaning towards Rivka with her hands on her hips. "But, why?!"

Rivka opens her eyes and looks at her. "We shouldn't bother him without a good reason."

Betty was about to say something until a loud alarm goes off. It was a warning that is being issued for everyone to head to a shelter. As a result, Rivka quickly rushes outside, with Betty right behind her, and she soon sees Jerry's car waiting for her. She says goodbye to Betty and enters through the front passenger seat. She then sees that Nero's already in the back seat. They drive off to the 2nd Branch in a hurry.

Rivka looks at Jerry while talking in a panicking way. "What's going on?! Is it an angel?!"

Jerry nods while still looking at the road. "Yes, it just appeared right outside of the city. The military is doing what they can to hold it off. It's been confirmed to be the 2nd Angel known as Serpantiel."

Rivka makes a confused expression while looking at Jerry. "Why is it called that?"

Nero looks out the window and points with his right hand while having a calm expression. "That's why."

Rivka and Jerry look out the window while Jerry continues to drive. They see the military's high-tech aircrafts fighting with the angel. The angel looks like a giant black and white serpent and it has spikes continuously coming in and out of its body. The spikes can extend up to a far distance. It's more than enough to successfully reach the aircrafts and destroy them. Rivka is in awe at the angel's destructive power, although, Nero doesn't seem that interested in the whole situation. They continue on their way to the 2nd Branch and soon after they arrive, Rivka goes to the locker room and gets ready. Meanwhile, Nero is at the 2nd Branch's HQ with everyone else. They patiently wait for Eva Unit 05 and its pilot.

Thomas says with an annoyed tone while sitting at his post and looking at his computer. "Damn it! I can't believe it! Another angel within 2 weeks! This is ridiculous!" He then clenches his fist while hitting the table.

Dana looks at him with concern while sitting at her post and says with a timid tone. "Calm down. Luckily for us, the Eva was repaired before the angel appeared."

Jerry says while looking at the giant screen as he's standing at his usual spot. "She's right. Rivka is getting ready. How are Unit 04's repairs going?"

Dana looks at her computer while typing on it. "It's still being worked on. Dr. Florence is down at the cage, working on it with the mechanics."

Jerry smiles while still looking at the giant screen. "Of course. Due to the fact that we have to pick up the pace, it's kind of obvious that he'll be helping them out." He then turns to look at Nero while still smiling.

Nero smiles back at Jerry while standing at the back of HQ and he shrugs while putting his hands behind his head. He then looks up at the giant screen that is now showing the angel moving at a constant pace. He sees that the angel is heading towards the 2nd Branch and then thinks to himself. "It seems like I'll have to watch. This will give me a chance to analyze what the angel is capable of and see what the 2nd Branch has up their sleeve." He then looks to the left side and laughs while still thinking to himself as he's shaking his head in disapproval. "And why the hell is the 2nd Branch located in the middle of the city?! That's a little bit too much vulnerability for my taste." He keeps on laughing to himself while looking back at the giant screen.

Thomas shouts out while still looking at his computer. "Rivka's in the Eva and the umbilical cable is connected! She's ready to launch!"

Jerry turns to look at the giant screen while he nods to himself and sees that the image of Rivka has been displayed on the screen. "Good!" He then says into the microphone. "Rivka! Are you ready?!"

Rivka's looking down while hearing Jerry's instruction and she's holding the controls. "I'm ready!" She then smiles to herself. *Side Note: She's no longer wearing the helmet that she wore for her first angel battle because it was decided that it wasn't really necessary because Rivka can aim pretty well without it*

Nero keeps looking at the screen while he puts his hands in his pockets and then thinks to himself. "They are both grounded but with those spikes, the angel can spread out its range. Although, I heard that Eva Unit 05 has long-range weapons. This is definitely a toss-up. It'll come down to who makes the first mistake." He smiles and whispers to himself. "Good luck, Rivka."

Jerry shouts out. "Alright! Launch Eva!"

Rivka braces herself as the Eva is launched and it arrives right in front of the 2nd Branch's facility. She then moves forward to face Serpantiel and she's a bit pissed off. "I can't believe that I have to fight another freaking angel and it hasn't even been 2 weeks!" She then sighs while trying to calm down. "Oh well. I have to do this no matter what. So, there's no point in complaining about it." She then continues to advance in a slow pace and soon sees Serpantiel finishing off the military aircrafts. "Well...there goes the military." She laughs at her on joke.

Serpantiel sees the Eva and roars. It then retracts its spikes and quickly submerges itself under the ground.

Rivka gasps and leans forward while looking at the ground that Serpantiel had just went into. "Where the hell is it going?!"

Jerry makes a concerned expression while he crosses his arms. "Focus, Rivka. The angel weighs roughly around 15 to 20 tons, and it's huge. It can't possibly have gone far. There's no possible way that you won't be able to see it attack."

Rivka nods while yelling out with confidence. "Right!" The ground then suddenly starts to shake and that causes Rivka to get startled while looking at the ground that's in front of her. "What the...?!"

Serpantiel comes out of the ground that's on the right side of the Eva, and with a loud roar, it runs right into the Eva's side with its head.

Rivka screams as the Eva falls down on its left side and Rivka feels a bit of a shock from the impact. "Damn it!" She then grabs her right side due to her feeling the pain that Serpantiel had caused with it running into her Eva.

Jerry rushes to Dana and looks at her computer while talking frantically. "What's the status on the Eva's condition?! How's Rivka?!"

Dana looks at the computer while typing frantically. "The Eva received some small damage and Rivka's alright. She's just feeling the pain from the synchronization."

Nero looks on from behind them and quietly thinks to himself. "While they were having their pep talk, Serpantiel took advantage and took Rivka down. The angels are pretty intelligent when it comes to being aware of its surroundings. That's the only way it could have noticed that its enemy wasn't focus. I wonder how everyone will take this minor set back."

Rivka looks up at the screen while trying to regain her composure. "That damn angel." She then tightens her grip on the controls while seeing that the angel is right next to her and it's watching her. She then yells out. "I'm going to kill you!" She quickly brings the Eva back to its base and pulls away from Serpantiel. "It's now my turn, you son of a bitch!"

Serpantiel glares at the Eva. It then slithers toward the Eva at a high-speed and extends out its spikes.

Rivka responds by aiming her rifles at Serpantiel and she starts shooting while trying to dodge all of the angel's spikes and she shouts out. "Eat that! How do you like that, you piece of shit?!"

Serpantiel quickly uses its bottom spikes to jump over the Eva and while in mid-air, it turns and extends its spikes again. One of the spikes is able to pierce through one of the Eva's rifles and causes it to blow up.

Rivka screams from the pain coming from her hand and turns around to look at the angel. She then yells out while still firing with the other rifle. "You bastard!" She then runs out of bullets and throws the rifle to the side and starts to fire with the Eva's cannons while maneuvering around.

Thomas makes a concerned expression and stands up while still in front of his computer. "Damn it! She's already using the cannons! She's being too reckless! Anyway, those cannons don't last that long and with the way she's moving around, I doubt she'll make contact with that damn angel!"

William voice suddenly comes from the intercom. "Don't worry about that. I was able to make improvements to the cannons. So, they will last longer than before."

Thomas says into his microphone while having a shocked expression. "Really?! How much longer will they last?!"

William's image appears on a side screen and he sighs while the mechanics that are behind him are working on Unit 04) It's not that much more of a difference of time but it still helps. She just has to worry about over heating them because if she goes to far then the cannons will explode.

Thomas gasps and puts his hands over his face while lowering his posture. "We're doomed! If that were to happen then we would definitely lose because of the damage the Eva would sustain." He then starts to sulk to himself.

Nero rolls his eyes while still watching Rivka's valiant fight against the angel. He then thinks to himself. "Some faith he has in the person that he's depending his life on. No wonder SEELE wanted me to come and help them."

Rivka continues to make the Eva maneuver around while shooting with the cannons and she's getting really upset. "I have to win! I have to protect everyone! I don't want anyone to die!" She then makes the Eva charge towards Serpantiel and crashes into it, which the momentum causes them to collide into a building.

Serpantiel roars and extends its spikes. As a result, some of the spikes pierced through the Eva's mid-section and all the way out of Unit 05's back while having blood all over the spikes.

Rivka screams out in pain and grabs her body while leaning forward and grinding her teeth. She then looks up at her screen that shows the angel while having an enraged expression. "You son of a bitch!" She then grabs the controls and makes the Eva grab the spikes that are piercing the Eva. It then slowly pulls the spikes out and quickly backs away from the angel. Rivka then stares at it while breathing heavily and yells out. "You're really starting to piss me off!"

Nero continues to watch. He then sighs and walks up to Thomas. He then pulls out his right hand from his pocket and swiftly takes Thomas' microphone that's located next to his screen. He then says into the microphone with a calm tone. "Rivka. Can you hear me?"

Rivka makes a surprised expression and looks up while being a bit confused. "Nero? Is that you?"

Thomas gets mad while turning to look at Nero and yells at him. "What the hell are you doing, you brat?!" He tries to take the microphone from Nero. "Give that back!"

Nero calmly ignores him and walks away from Thomas. He then continues to talk to Rivka. "It's me. I need you to do me a favor, but first back away from Serpantiel. He's about to attack you."

Rivka looks at the angel and it lunges towards her. Rivka gets startled by the sudden attack, but quickly is able to dodge and takes refuge behind a building while she tries to breath. "That was close." She looks up while talking. "Thanks, Nero."

Nero stands next to Jerry, who's looking at him, and continues to talk. "Listen, Rivka. I know that you want to protect everyone, but you can't be relying on your anger as strength. Just try to be calm and focus as much as possible. After you feel comfortable with the way you are, then attack." He then smiles.

Jerry smiles and nods. He then looks at the screen and talks into his microphone while sounding very optimistic. "He's right, Rivka! Don't fight with anger! Fight with the confidence that you always have!"

Rivka blinks in a confused way and looks down while thinking to herself. "Fight...with the...confidence that I always have?" She smiles and looks in front of her. "Right! I'll do that!" She then makes the Eva come out of hiding and she stares at Serpantiel while smiling. "I'm confident! Thanks, Nero!"

Nero keeps smiling. He then walks to Thomas and hands him the microphone. "There you go." He then turns and walks to where he was originally standing.

Thomas groans while watching Nero. He then whispers to himself. "That was stupid advice. How will she win without her anger?" He looks at his computer and thinks to himself. "I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm not going to be tricked by you. I know you have hidden intentions and I'm going to prove it."

Nero leans against the wall and watches the screen while thinking to himself. "Now, Rivka. Let's see what you can do." He smiles again.

Dana shouts out. "Oh my God! Rivka's sync ratio is reaching 80%!"

Jerry smiles again while nodding. "Good." He then shouts out. "Rivka! Close in, and shoot the angel at close range!"

Thomas looks at him while having a shocked expression. "Are you crazy?!"

Rivka shouts from the Eva. "Got it!"

Thomas gets on his feet while making a concerned expression. "Don't do it! You'll destroy the Eva!"

Jerry looks at him while being pissed off. "Shut up, Thomas! Just shut up and sit down!"

Thomas gets startled and looks at Jerry. He then sits down while turning his head to watch the screen and he doesn't say a word.

Rivka smiles while making her Eva charge at Serpantiel. "Here I come, you bastard!" She crashes the Eva into Serpantiel and yells out. "Now eat this! She then aims her cannons at the angel and is about to fire them.

Serpantiel roars and quickly turns to the left to go underground.

Rivka gets irritated. "Shit!" She looks at the ground around her. "Where the hell is it?!"

Jerry shouts. "Rivka, don't lose your cool! Just try to find it!"

Rivka nods while turning her Eva to look around.

Nero watches the screen while scratching his head with his right hand. Suddenly, he sees off the side of the screen that the earth's shaking while Unit 05 is facing the opposite direction. He then shouts out while putting his hand down. "Tell her to shoot behind her!

Jerry hesitates for a moment and then shouts. "Rivka! Shoot behind you!"

Rivka gasps while she turns the Eva around and fires with both of the cannons.

Serpantiel gets out from the ground and it's in mid-air when the cannons' blast hits it right at the core and that causes Serpantiel to explode.

Rivka braces herself for the shock of the explosion and she closes her eyes. Then, when the explosion ends and the smokes clears, she opens her eyes and sees that the angel has been destroyed. She then shouts out of joy. "We did it!" She smiles and giggles. "Another angel bites the dust!" She gives out a peace sign as her victory pose.

Everyone starts to celebrate and cheer for Rivka.

Nero smiles. "Well that was a great success." He laughs softly to himself.

Jerry laughs and turns around to look at Nero. "That was a good call." He smiles.

Nero shrugs while still smiling. "I was just lucky that I saw it in time." He then walks up to Jerry. "I'm heading home. Tell her that she did great." He turns around and walks away.

Jerry slightly tilts his head to the right for a moment. He then turns to look at Dana and Thomas. "That was quite impressive. Him making that call and all. Don't you guys think?"

Dana smiles and nods at him.

Thomas groans and looks back at Jerry. "I think that was quite suspicious. How did he know where the angel was going to be at?"

Jerry laughs again while looking at Thomas. "He must have seen something that we didn't." He then walks towards Thomas and pats him on the back. "Don't think too much about it."

Thomas gives out a fake laugh. "That's just great. It's bad enough that the Committee sent him. Now, we owe him for this victory." He then frowns.

Jerry suddenly stops laughing while making a bit of an irritated expression and glares at Thomas while getting annoyed. "Stop complaining! We all worked as a team and that's how we beat the angel! Now, shut it!" He then calms himself down and starts to walk towards the direction where the cage is located. "I'm going to greet Rivka and take her out to eat."

Dana looks on while having a concerned expression.

Thomas sighs and speaks quietly. "Idiot. You're being fooled by him."

As soon as Rivka got to the cage, she got out of the Eva and saw Jerry. He escorted her to the locker room, where she got dressed quickly, and she then went out to eat with Jerry. Rivka didn't seem too happy though since she had Nero on her mind. They get to an oriental restaurant and are now at a small table while they eat their food.

Rivka picks at her food and thinks to herself. "Why can't I stop thinking about him? Am I actually being bothered by him not being here?" She picks up some rice with her chopsticks and stares at it.

Jerry looks at her while having a concerned expression. "Is there something wrong?"

Rivka gets a little startled and looks at him while regaining her composure. "There's nothing wrong. I'm totally fine." She puts the rice in her mouth and chews it while smiling.

Jerry smiles in a concerned way. "Are you sure? I think there's something on your mind."

Rivka shakes her head and continues to smile. "Don't worry. Everything is fine."

Jerry raises his right eye brow. "Ok." He then looks down at his plate and continues to eat.

Soon after they finish their food, they leave the restaurant and stop at a grocery store. Once they finish buying all the food they need and putting it in the trunk, they head home. It's now night-time and when they get home, Nero comes out and helps bring up the groceries. After putting the groceries away, Jerry decides to go to his room with 10 cans of beers and says goodnight to the children. Rivka quickly takes a shower and is now currently sitting on the couch while watching television and she's wearing green pajamas. At this moment, Nero is taking his shower.

Rivka's watching the news while giving out a fake laugh while shaking her head in discontent. "I can't believe the lies they put out on the news." She then leans forward while staring at the television. Any person that's stupid enough to believe this crap must have been dropped on their head." She lets out a soft sigh and then turns off the television while laying on the couch. She then puts her right arm over her face and says softly to herself. "Why do things have to be so complicated? Especially with the way I feel about Nero."

Nero suddenly appears behind the couch while leaning on it as his arms are crossed and has a curious expression. "What's that suppose to mean?"

Rivka gets startled while giving out a small yelp and falls off the couch. She then quickly gets up and looks at Nero while having a shocked expression. "What are you doing here?!"

Nero smiles and straightens himself up. He then walks around the couch while putting his hands behind his head and stops right in front of Rivka. He then leans towards her and has his face really close to her face. "I live here, remember?" He then chuckles.

Rivka blushes due to the closeness while leaning back a little. She also gets a bit irritated at his joke and yells out while leaning forward. "That's not what a meant! How long were you standing there?!"

Nero chuckles a little bit more and says with a teasing tone. "Long enough to hear your lovely comment." He then smiles at her again.

Rivka blushes even more. She then looks down while closing her eyes and shouts out. "What did I tell you about making those embarrassing comments?!"

Nero stops smiling while making an innocent expression. "Sometimes I can't help it because what I say is the truth. You remember what I told you about reacting to what others say?"

Rivka looks at him in a hesitant way while still blushing a little. "I remember." She then sits down on the couch and looks away from him while placing her hands on her lap.

Nero smiles once again and sits right next to her while leaning forward as he puts his hands down. "I've realized that we haven't talked that much lately."

Rivka looks at him while making a sincere smile. "I know." She then pauses for a moment while looking away but quickly looks back at him with curiosity. "Is there any possible way you can tell me something about yourself?"

Nero puts his left hand on his left cheek for leverage and thinks for a moment while looking up at the ceiling. As Nero does this, Rivka stares at him while waiting patiently. He then looks at her while smiling. "I can tell you some extra things about me, but I want to know some things about you too. Just makes sure you keep what I tell you a secret, alright?"

Rivka nods while smiling again. "Alright."

Nero continues to smile. "Well, you go first."

Rivka giggles while covering her mouth with her right hand. She then puts her hand down and clears her throat. "Ok, Let's see. I was born in Berlin. She then looks up at the ceiling out of the top corner of her eyes while saying. "I have lived in Berlin for most of my life and Carson City is the only other place I have ever lived." She then looks at him and smiles. "Now, it's your turn."

Nero smiles back at her. "Ok." He pauses for a moment while looking at the floor and then looks at her. "Well, I can tell you that I have moved too many times to keep track and I really don't like moving, although I enjoy living here for a certain reason that I'm not saying." He then gives out a short laugh.

Rivka blushes a little bit while thinking of the possible reason he likes living here. She then says out loud to him. "Ok. This next thing is a bit personal. Hopefully you don't tell anyone." She then smiles slightly.

Nero nods. "Don't worry about it. I wont say a word to anyone."

Rivka looks away while her eyes become a bit dull and she makes an emotionless expression. "My mother died when I was 4 years old and my dad has been too busy with NERV to ever see me or even talk to me. My mother died in a car accident. I was told that she had a drinking problem." A tear then goes down her left cheek, but she has her hair cover her face, so that she isn't seen crying.

Nero makes an emotionless expression while looking up towards the ceiling. "I'm sorry."

Rivka quickly wipes away the tear and looks at him while smiling. "Don't worry about it. So, it's now your turn."

Nero looks at her and makes a fake smile. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't have parents."

Rivka's jaw drops while having a shocked expression. "What?! What do you mean you don't have parents?!"

Nero shrugs while still making that fake smile. "Well, I know I was born from two people, that much is obvious, but I was abandoned by them when I was little. So, I don't consider ever having parents."

Rivka closes her mouth and frowns. She then holds Nero's right hand with her left hand in a comforting way. "I'm so sorry."

Nero keeps looking at her while still smiling. "It's fine, Rivka. I've already accepted it."

Rivka unknowingly gets closer to him while making a sad expression. "How could you just accept it? I wouldn't be able to accept it."

Nero sighs and looks at the television. "Just let it go, Rivka. Anyway, it's not like I wanted to accept it. I just really don't care about it anymore."

Rivka just stares at him in disbelief. "Wow. I wouldn't be able to do that."

Nero shrugs again and then looks at her. "Apparently, I can."

Rivka thinks to herself while staring at him. She then says to him. "I'm still sorry." She then smiles at him.

Nero smiles back at her. "I know." He then looks down at her hand that's still holding his hand and looks at her again while still smiling. "Are you going to let go?"

Rivka looks down and sees her hand. She then blushes and frantically lets go of his hand and pulls it way. "I'm sorry!" She then turns her head away while closing her eyes.

Nero keeps smiling. "It's fine." He then gets up and starts to walk towards his room. "I'm going to sleep."

Rivka opens her eyes and looks at him while having a bit of a surprised expression. "Well, ummm...goodnight."

Nero turns around and looks at her from his bedroom door. "Night." He then walks backwards into his room and closes his door.

Rivka stares at his door for a moment. She then gets up and walks to her room. Once she's in her room, she lays down and stares at the ceiling while having her hands on the center of her chest and she's thinking to herself. "I guess we have something in common." She looks at her wall that's on her right while still thinking. "Come to think about it...I don't really even remember my mom." She then sighs, looks at the hand that held Nero's hand and blushes while whispering. "I can't believe I held his hand for so long! That was so embarrassing!" She then calms herself down as she closes her eyes and slowly goes to sleep.

Nero's laying on his bed while laying on his stomach and he thinks to himself as he's looking at the wall that's to his left. "Today was quite interesting. It almost went exactly as I expected. Although, I would have preferred Thomas not giving me that distasteful look." He then sighs as he closes his eyes for a moment and then continues to think as he opens his eyes again. "Oh, well. As long as he doesn't interfere with the plan, I guess everything will be fine." He then randomly laughs to himself after having a moment of silence and lies on his back while covering his face with his left hand. "What the hell am I talking about?! He's not even close to being smart enough to get in the way!" He laughs again and then moves his fingers, that way he can see the ceiling. "I'll always be five steps ahead because I'm smarter than anyone in the whole world. My IQ is proof of that." He keeps on smiling to himself until he finally closes his eyes and falls asleep.

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

Once again, I had to improvise and the ending for this episode was something I just randomly came up with. I still have no idea of how many episodes I'll be making. I want to at least reach 15 episodes, but I'm not sure. This episode was shorter than the last one, but we can't always expect long episodes. I hope you all enjoyed this episode and I'll see what I can do about my next one. I just hope I can actually get some sleep because I've been spending a lot of time writing instead of sleeping.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	6. Episode 6

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

I haven't been thinking too much about what I should write for this episode. I spent some time relaxing and also doing some other things that helped me survive in this strange world of ours. I finally decided to get back on track and continue with the story. I have already made some changes to this episode before and I might continue to do so. I just hope you all enjoy it because I'm doing my best to make these episodes interesting and hopefully, I won't have to make any more changes.

Episode 6: Non-Stop Drama and Class Performance

The weekend went fairly quick and there weren't that many confrontations between the two pilots. The only time they saw each other was during their synchronization test, and even though they saw each other, they still didn't speak to the other. This concerned Jerry, but he decided not to get involved. Although, Rivka actually had been waiting for an opportunity to talk to Nero, she wasn't sure if it would be a good idea since the way things turned out with them talking wasn't that good. But Monday morning, Nero had decided to break the tension that seemed to be between them.

Nero's waiting outside for Rivka while sitting on top of the rails that are on the right side of the hallway. He's currently looking at his school uniform that he's wearing while holding onto the rails so that he doesn't fall backwards. *Side Note: The polo shirt is white and the pants are grey*

Rivka walks out the door and closes it without noticing Nero at first due to her looking at the floor. She then looks up and sees Nero sitting on the rail. She then makes a sad expression while saying with a vague tone. "Hey..."

Nero looks up at her and tilts his head to the left while raising his right eye brow. "You look depressed."

Rivka shrugs and starts to walk down the hall as she says without looking at him. "I don't know. I guess I'm still thinking about Friday."

Nero watches her walk as he gets off the rails. He then follows her while putting his hands in his pockets. "Why? Does it bother you that I don't have parents?"

Rivka keeps walking until she reaches the elevator and presses the button. She then looks down at the floor again while still being sad expression.

Nero stops next to her and looks at her while having a curious expression.

Rivka looks up when the elevator's door open. She then gets in while Nero follows her and presses the button to go down.

Nero quietly continues to look at her with a concerned expression until the elevator reaches the first floor. They then get out of the elevator and walk out of the building. Nero walks behind Rivka while thinking to himself. "What's up with her? Why didn't she answer my question?"

Rivka keeps walking until she reaches the traffic light as it's currently red and waits for it to change.

Nero stops to her right while looking up at the traffic light and then looks at her. "Why are you acting like this?"

Rivka sighs while still looking at the light. She then looks down and whispers. "I'm acting like this because I feel uncomfortable when I'm around you."

Nero keeps looking at her while making an emotionless expression and says with a serious tone. "If you want, I can just move out and we can never talk to each other outside of NERV."

Rivka makes a shocked expression while quickly turning her head to look at him and yells out with a panic tone while gesturing her hands in front of him. "No! That's not what I want!"

Nero raises his left eye brow while being quite confused by her reaction. "Why not? Wouldn't it be better that way?"

Rivka yells out again, but this time out of desperation and without thinking. "Because I like you too much to have that happen!" She then quickly realizes what she said and covers her mouth with both hands while turning bright red.

Nero just looks at her for a moment while having a bit of a surprised expression. He then looks up at the light that had just changed and suddenly smiles as he laughs while he starts to walk forward. "Is that so?" He keeps smiling to himself.

Rivka keeps blushing while she puts her hands down and follows Nero. She then starts to talk in a nervous way. "That was a mistake. I didn't mean to say that." She then looks at the ground while still walking.

Nero turns his body around to face her and keeps walking, but backwards. "Are you embarrassed?"

Rivka looks up at him while still blushing a bit and hesitantly nods.

Nero smiles while still walking backwards. "Then let's forget that it was even said, ok?" He then turns back around and walks forward.

Rivka makes a surprised expression as she stares at Nero's back. "Really?! Are you sure we can do that?!" She then clears her throat while trying to calm down. "I mean, are you sure you'll actually forget I said that?"

Nero laughs while still looking in front of himself as he walks. "Yeah. It's nothing in comparison to me getting over the fact that I don't have parents." He then takes his hands out of his pockets and puts them behind his head while smiling to himself. "Obviously, it was an accident, so...we should treat it as an accident and forget about it, right?" He then gives her a quick glance while still smiling and then looks in front of himself again.

Rivka nods to herself and she just stares at Nero. "Alright. That's a good idea." She shrugs while gesturing with her hands up a bit and shakes her head while having her eyes closed. She then puts her hands down and looks ahead while walking up next to Nero. "We don't need to complicate things." She then smiles.

Nero glances at her for a moment and then looks away. He sighs softly while looking away and he thinks to himself. "Yeah...there's no need for unnecessary complications." He then looks at her while smiling and says. "You're completely right. Also, we'll be taking fencing classes together and we don't need any conflicts between us."

Rivka makes a concerned expression while looking at Nero again and thinks to herself. "Conflict?" She then frowns and looks away from him while still thinking. "Does he think that this was a conflict? Well, I can't blame him since I said it was a mistake that I said I like him, and that could have made him think that." She sighs and looks at him while making a fake smile and says. "You're right. There's no need for conflict between the two of us since we're both pilots and we'll be spending a lot of time together."

Nero continues to look at her and talks with an upbeat tone. "Yeah! We'll be spending a whole lot of time together!" He then smiles while closing his eyes.

Rivka groans softly while making an irritated expression and blushing a little bit. She then thinks to herself while still looking at Nero. "There he goes again with those comments that make me feel uncomfortable." She sighs.

Nero continues to smile while opening his eyes and looks in front of him. He then thinks to himself while making a curious expression as he looks towards the sky. "If I'm correct, I think I just made another one of my uncomfortable comments." He then glances at her for a moment and looks back in front of him. He then shrugs and laughs softly to himself while closing his eyes. He then opens them again while mumbling to himself. "Oh well."

They keep on walking and soon reach the school. They get through the school day while having received word that they will have fencing class on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Monday soon ends with no problems, but unfortunately Tuesday was a different story. Right after school, Betty walks up to Rivka with some very sad news. It pertained to something happening on Monday, right after school, and since Rivka hadn't stayed that long after school that day, she didn't know anything about it. Both Rivka and Betty were walking to Betty's house while Betty got ready to tell Rivka what's going on.

Betty sighs while having a sad expression as she's walking next to Rivka and looking at the floor. "Alright. I'm ready to tell you." She looks at her

Rivka looks at Betty while having a concerned expression. "What is it?"

Betty breathes in deeply while tears start to form in her eyes and she cries out. "Jonny has a girlfriend!"

Rivka gasps while her jaw drops. She then starts to talk with a surprised tone. "What?! Do you mean he has a girlfriend that isn't you?!"

Betty nods while crying and she starts to gasp for air while trying to talk. "Yes...he...does..."

Rivka makes a sad expression and she stops walking while making Betty stop walking as well. She then puts her hands on Betty's face and wipes Betty's tears away with her thumbs. "I'm so sorry, Betty." She looks right into Betty's eyes. "I guess he wasn't that interested in you since he went and got himself a girlfriend."

Betty shakes her head while still crying. "That's the thing!" She stops shaking her head and looks down for a moment. She then looks up at Rivka and yells out. "He had a girlfriend from the very beginning!"

Rivka's shocked for a moment and then gets really pissed off. "That bastard! How could he do such a thing?!" She calms down a bit and talks to Betty with a serious tone. "How did you find out?"

Betty continues to cry. "The idiot was at school yesterday and I saw him in the back seat of my brother's car, and he was making out with his girlfriend. I then went to my house while I was really upset and when I got there, he was there with his girlfriend and she walked up to me and told me that they have been dating for 4 months!" She keeps on crying.

Rivka sighs and hugs Betty. "I'm sorry, Betty." She stops hugging her and looks at her face while having her hands on Betty's shoulder. "What did you do when you saw them?"

Betty tries to stop crying, but it doesn't work. "I started to cry and ran to my room! She then cries even more. "The worst part is that bitch is 16 years old!" She gestures with her hands. "How can I compete with that?!"

Rivka hugs Betty again and caresses her hair while trying to calm her down. "You don't have to compete with anyone." She looks at her while still holding her. "You're a great person and Jonny is messed up for doing that." She wipes Betty's tears away and lets go of her. "Listen. You'll find another a guy, and he'll respect you the way you deserve to be respected and love you the way you deserve to be loved. Jonny's just a dumb jock wannabe, ok?" She smiles at her.

Betty stops crying and nods while hesitantly smiling. "You're right." She starts to talk in a confident way. "I can do much better than that stupid Jonny!" She smiles in a prideful way and turns to look in front of her, and she starts walking.

Rivka walks right beside her and smiles while holding up her right fist and she talks in an enthusiastic way. "That's the spirit! There's a lot more deserving guys!"

Betty's still smiling and nods. "Yeah!" She looks at Rivka. "Like Nero for example."

Rivka nods her head while looking ahead. "Yeah!" Her eyes then widen after she realizes what Betty just said and she quickly puts her fist down and looks at Betty while her jaw drops. "What?!"

Betty giggles while still looking at Rivka. "What's wrong? I thought you didn't like Nero like that?"

Rivka shakes her head in a frantic way. She then looks at Betty again while having a surprised expression. "I don't, but why Nero all of a sudden?"

Betty smiles while slightly blushing and looks away from Rivka. "Well, let's admit it. He's very good-looking and you said that he's really smart and that really impressed me." She shrugs and looks at Rivka while still blushing. "Also, since you have no feelings for him, you can put in a good word for me. At least, that way I can talk with him and ask him out." She pauses for a moment and looks at Rivka in a concerned way. "As long as it's alright with you."

Rivka hesitates for a moment while still looking at Betty and then answers. "It's alright. You don't need my permission and I'll put in a good word for you."

Betty talks while still having a concerned expression. "Are you sure?"

Rivka nods. "Yeah. Nero and I are nothing more than teammates, that's all." She thinks to herself while looking ahead of her. "And you'll never find out that I told Nero that I liked him because then you would DEFINITELY take it in the wrong way about how I feel about him." She sighs for a moment and then continues to think to herself. "I just hope that it won't bother me if they go out."

Betty giggles to herself and looks where she's going. "Ok. Speaking of which, where is Nero?" She looks at her.

Rivka glances at Betty. "He's swimming at the school gym."

Betty makes a surprised expression. "Wow. He must really like swimming a lot. Do you know why?"

Rivka shakes her head while still looking in front of her. "I haven't gotten the chance to ask him yet."

Betty blinks in a curious way, but shrugs it off and smiles. "Well, I'll find out when we start dating." She then giggles.

Rivka looks at Betty while a cold sweat goes down the side of her face and she makes a nervous smile. "Yeah. You sure will find out a lot from him once you two are dating." She looks away and sighs softly to herself. She then thinks to herself while looking at the floor and she has a concerned expression on her face. "I wonder if he'll actually tell her a lot of things about himself if they were to go out." She pauses for a moment and then continues to think. "I wonder if he'll even tell her about his parents."

They both keep walking and they soon reach Betty's house. Rivka stays there for a couple of hours and she then leaves to go home. Once she gets there, Rivka decides to quickly get changed into her pajamas that are pink with green roses. She then walks to the kitchen at first, but suddenly thinks about Nero for a moment and turns to walk towards his bedroom's door.

Rivka stares at the door while putting her hands on her hips and thinks to herself. "I wonder what his room looks like. I've seen it before he moved in, but I don't know if he made any changes to it." She starts to reach for the door knob with her right hand, but then suddenly stops while still thinking to herself. "What am I doing? This is Nero's room. How could I possibly be thinking of going inside without his permission?" She then looks behind her for a moment and looks back at Nero's door. She then sighs while lowering her head and closing her eyes. "It won't hurt as long as he doesn't find out." She then grabs onto the knob while looking at it and slowly opens the door. She then slowly looks inside as she hesitantly goes into the room. The room is currently dark and Rivka can't really see anything until she turns on the light. The light reveals that Nero's room isn't messy at all while everything that is noticeable is organized properly. Rivka then takes a few steps towards Nero's bed, which is clean also clean and says to herself. "Whoa. He's been living here for a week now and it seems like the room is the way he wants it." She then looks at the entire room and suddenly notices a large piece of paper that's framed on the wall while it has a drawing on it. The drawing is nicely drawn as it's a black cross while there's a black sun in the background with a black kitten on top of it, which it looks like it's staring right at you. All Rivka can do is stare at the drawing while being amazed as she slightly tilts her head to the right and yells out. "Wow! That's an intense drawing!" She then thinks to herself while adjusting her posture and makes a curious expression. "I wonder who drew it." She then looks around the room for a moment and quickly looks back at the drawing with a confused expression. "And why is it the only thing hanging up on the wall?" As she keeps looking at it, she doesn't realize that someone is watching her from the bedroom door.

Nero's dripping wet as he's naked while wiping his left cheek with his towel. He stares at Rivka while having a curious expression and says. "What are you doing in my room?"

Rivka gets startled and turns around. She then sees that Nero's naked and her face turns bright red. She quickly turns back around while covering her face with her hands and has her head lowered as she yells out. "Why?! Why are you naked?!"

Nero blinks in a confused way and looks down at his body. He then leans against the wall that's next to the door and looks at Rivka. "Answer my question first."

Rivka hesitates and gulps while still in the same position. "Well...Uhhh...I came in to see what your room looks like." She slowly moves her hands out of her face and starts to talk in a frantic way. "I know that I should have asked you first and I'm very sorry!" She pauses for a moment while her face is still a bit red and she yells out while shutting her eyes. "Now, why are you naked?!"

Nero smiles and crosses his arms while still holding his towel with his left hand. "Well, it is my room after all. I didn't even notice you until after I took it off."

Rivka is shocked while opening her eyes and turns around while putting her hands down and clenching them. "How can you not know someone was in your room?!" She turns red again at the sight of Nero's naked body and turns back around to look at the wall. "And why are you still naked?!"

Nero laughs for a bit while turning towards his closet and he walks to it. "For your first question, I would answer with the fact that there should have been no one in my room in the first place." He uncrosses his arms and opens his closet. "For your second question, I would answer with the fact that I haven't thought of putting on my clothes yet." He laughs again while putting his towel on a hanger and he then starts to look for something to wear.

Rivka keeps looking at the wall while starting to blush again. "Well, can you put something on, now?"

Nero smiles while taking out some clothes to put on. "I'm already working on it. Just relax."

Rivka breathes deeply and tries to regain her composure while she stops blushing. She then turns her head to look at the drawing. "What's with this drawing?" She turns her body to face the drawing while trying not to look towards Nero.

Nero looks at Rivka while putting on his clothes. He then looks at the drawing from where he's standing. "It's nothing, really. Just something I drew a long time ago."

Rivka whistles to show that she's impressed. "That's amazing." She hesitates for a moment because she was about to look at Nero and continues to look at the drawing while trying not to blush again. "Are you done yet?"

Nero puts on his shirt, which is the last thing he had to put on. He's now wearing a black, long sleeve shirt that has a giant cross on it and he's wearing black pants that also has a cross on the side of the left pants leg. "Yeah. I'm done." He puts his hands behind his head while leaning against the wall that's next to his closet.

Rivka turns to look at him and she smiles in a nervous way. "I'm sorry about all of this."

Nero shrugs while in the same position. "It's fine. Just ask me next time." He smiles.

Rivka smiles back at him and looks at the drawing one last time. She then looks at Nero while walking towards the door and she's smiling. "Well, I'm going to go now." She stops in front of the door. "I've over stayed my welcome. I'll talk to you later, ok?"

Nero's still smiling. "Ok. See you, later."

Rivka walks out the door and closes it. She then puts her hands over her face and thinks to herself while being very embarrassed. "I can't believe I saw him naked! There's no way he'll forgive me, let alone forget all of this!" She sighs while putting her hands down. She then puts her head down and walks to her room. She quickly lies on her bed in a field position. "I really hope that things don't get more awkward between us. That's the last thing I need." She sighs and falls asleep.

Nero is still in his room, and he's looking at the drawing while he has his hands in his pockets. "Why do I keep this drawing? It's not even that important to me." He pauses for a moment while tilting his head to the right. "Although, it's still a reminder of how I feel about this world." He sighs and straightens his head. He then turns towards his bed and walks to it. He lays down on it while putting his left arm over his forehead and his right arm on his stomach, and he stares at the ceiling. "I just wish things could be simpler and not so confusing." He closes his eyes and thinks to himself. "I can't believe Rivka saw me naked." He laughs to himself. "Oh well, there's nothing that can be done about that now." He smiles and falls asleep.

As they both sleep, back at the 2nd Branch, Commander Skylark and Sub-Commander Norwood are having a conversation on the recent developments. Commander Skylark (Isabel) is sitting at her desk while looking at some documents. Sub-Commander Norwood (Frank) is standing right beside Isabel and he's observing what she's looking at.

Isabel is reading documents that have been sent by the Committee and it is labeled "Confidential." "This is quite disturbing." She leans back on her chair while holding up a specific document that has information on the use of Eva Unit 04. "The moment this Eva is activated, the Committee is making it their main priority to cease Eva Unit 04 as soon as possible and release its hidden potential."

Frank raises his right eye brow and leans towards Isabel while having his hands behind his back and he's looking at the document that's in her hand. "Hidden potential? What can that Eva possibly have that's so important to them?"

Isabel sighs while she puts the document down and looks at Frank. "I'm not completely sure, but it could have something to do with it having the only experimental S2 Engine."

Frank straightens himself up and looks at her. "Something that is supposed to have the ability to convert matter into energy is causing a fuss from the Committee." He laughs. "That seems to be a bad thing for anyone that is against them. Also, why us? Why didn't they have Ikari deal with the experimental S2 Engine? Could it be because they don't trust him or could it be because we now have Nero?"

Isabel looks away and focuses on the picture that came with the document. The picture is of Nero. "It could be either one or both since they could have easily sent Nero to Ikari." She then looks at him while having a concerned expression. "It could even be something else. Something they don't want us to know about."

Frank gets a bit confused. "What do you mean? What could possibly be the other reason?"

Isabel shows him a separate document. "This could be one other reason."

Frank grabs the document and looks at it. "They're using all three Eva's that they have in their disposal and it seems like they have just beaten the 9th angel." He then looks at her. "What about it?"

Isabel sighs while still looking at him. "Don't you get it? How did they beat the last angel?"

Frank looks at the document and says to her. "By working together." He looks at her and makes a confused expression.

Isabel smiles at him. "What I'm getting at is that it seems like they are having a hard time dealing with the angels since it took all three pilots to obtain that victory. That could be upsetting the Committee, but I kind of doubt it."

Frank scratches his right cheek while looking at the document. He then looks at her. "So, are you saying that they might need more help? But isn't that what Eva Unit 03 is for?"

Isabel shrugs and looks through some more documents. "I don't know, but when it comes to the Committee, anything is possible." She looks at him.

Frank sighs while still looking at her and he hands the document to her. "You're right. Although, I doubt we will do much better than what they're doing since we have only two Evas and two battles as experience."

Isabel nods and looks back down at the documents. "You might have a point." She then sees another picture and she's surprised at what she sees. She looks up at Frank while having a shocked expression. "It seems that my source was also able to give me something else of true value."

Frank makes a confused expression. "What is it?"

Isabel shows him another picture, but this is a picture of Shinji. "This could be another reason why they aren't relying on Ikari."

Frank looks at Shinji's picture and his eyes widen from being surprised at what he sees. "But! This picture! It's...!" He looks at her while still surprised.

Isabel nods while having a serious expression. "It's too much of a coincidence. This could explain why there's no information on Nero or why he can't tell us about himself."

Frank is stunned while making a surprised expression.

Isabel puts her right hand on his left hand. "Let's us not jump to conclusions, alright? Once we have more information then we can confront this."

Frank nods while calming down. "Right."

With that said, the conversation ends as well as the day. The next day soon arrives and school passed fairly quick. Betty had planned to ask Nero out today, but she kept having a hard time getting his attention. Rivka was kind of worried about what had transpired the previous day and was also worried about what Nero's response would be to Betty's "Proposal". By the time school had ended, Betty had to go home with her brother and was trying to say goodbye to Rivka, but was stopped by Jonny. They all are currently at the parking lot of the school.

Jonny stands right between Betty and Rivka while having his arms crossed. He has an upset expression on his face and he's facing Betty. "Why are you avoiding me?! Are you still mad about that whole thing with Sonia?!"

Betty's annoyed and she clenches her fists. "Hell yeah! Of course I'm still freaking mad!"

Jonny puts his hands in front of Betty to try to calm her down. "Hey. Take it easy. I'm really sorry, but I didn't tell you about her because she isn't important, and I was going to break up with her for you, anyway." He smiles at her.

Betty starts to calm down and gets excited. "Really?! Oh God! That means so much to me that you would do that!"

Rivka smacks her forehead out of disbelief and she makes a loud groan while throwing up her hands. "Oh come on, Betty!" She then puts her hands down and looks at Betty from behind Jonny. "You're going to forgive him so easily after all that he put you through!" She puts her hands on her hips while looking at Betty with a serious expression. "You're smarter than that!"

Betty looks at Rivka. "Everyone deserves a second chance and as long as he's leaving that Sonia girl for me then I'm happy." She looks at Jonny and smiles at him while getting close to him. She then kisses him on the lips.

Jonny kisses her back and smiles at her while wrapping his arms around her. "You got that right, babe."

Rivka rolls her eyes. She then notices a girl that's watching them from behind Betty and she seems to be in a bad mood. "Ummm...sorry to interrupt your love fest, but who's that staring at the two of you?" She points at the girl.

Jonny looks behind Betty and gets really nervous. He then separates himself from Betty. "Oh crap! Sonia! What are you doing here?!"

Betty turns around and glares at Sonia while she steps in front of Jonny. "Yeah! What are you doing here?! If you're here to try to get Jonny back then you're out of luck!"

Sonia gets upset and puts one hand on her hip. "Oh really?! Well, sweetheart! I have bad news for you because me and Jonny are still together, and he wasn't planning on breaking up with me!" *Quick description: she has orange/red hair that's tied into a bun, height 5'6", slim with size 34C jugs and nice ass, which beats Betty's by a bit, she has brown eyes and dark tanned skin*

Betty laughs while in a proud pose. "Yeah, right!" She leans forward and sticks out her tongue in an immature way. "You really think that I'm going to believe you?!"

Sonia laughs and calms down a bit. "Wow! You must be an idiot!" She points at Jonny while smiling. "I'm really lucky that guy came up to me and told me what was happening because if this girl is the one you're going to cheat on me with then you can keep her!"

Jonny makes a shocked expression. "Wait! Who told you?!"

Sonia brushes off his question. "Like it matters!" She walks pass Betty and stands in front of Jonny. She then makes an irritated expression and slaps him in the face. She then turns around and walks away in the direction that she came from.

Rivka tries not to laugh as she covers her mouth.

Betty's shocked and looks at Sonia with disgust. She then rushes to Jonny and touches his face while having a concerned expression. "Are you ok?"

Jonny moves her hand and makes Betty get out of his way. He then reaches out towards Sonia with his left hand and yells out without thinking. "Sonia! Don't go! I still love you!" He then quickly covers his mouth and looks at Betty.

Betty is shocked again and tears start to fall down her face while she becomes very upset. "What?! You still love her?!"

Sonia keeps on walking while smiling and walks pass a car, where Nero happens to be sitting on the ground behind of it. As she keeps walking, she looks at him and says softly to him. "Thanks."

Nero nods while smiling as he's leaning against the car's bumper. "You're welcome." After saying that, Sonia keeps walking until she isn't seen anymore as Nero had watched her walk away. He then turns to see what's happening between Betty and Jonny while smiling. "My work here is done." He then gets up and walks away without being noticed.

Jonny is panicking while trying to calm Betty down and puts his hands on her cheek. "No! That's not what I meant!"

Betty tries to take his hands off her while still crying and screaming. "You liar! You said you wanted to be with me! But you obviously want to be her and use me as an extra!"

Jonny squeezes her cheeks while getting pissed off and yells at her. "Listen to me, you little bitch! You should be happy that I even paid attention to you!"

Betty starts to cry even more. She then closes her eyes and turns away from Jonny while trying to pull his hands off. "Let go of me!"

Rivka is concerned and rushes towards Jonny. She then pulls him off her and turns him around. She then punches him in the face, which causes him to fall flat on his ass and points at him while standing over him. "You son of a bitch!" She bends over and glares at him. "What gives you the right to insult my best friend like that?! Who the hell do you think you are?!" She makes the hand she's pointing with into a fist and punches him in the face again. This makes Jonny fall on his back and Rivka then straightens herself and looks at Betty with a smile. "Let's go, Betty!" She extends the hand she punch Jonny with towards Betty.

Betty grabs her hand while she slowly stops crying and nods at Rivka. "Thank you, Rivka."

Rivka keeps smiling at Betty and leads her to Max's car, which is nearby. "You're welcome and don't worry about that bastard. You can do much better, right?" She smiles at her while standing in front of Max's car.

Betty wipes her eyes and hugs Rivka. She then stops hugging her and smiles at her. "You bet!" She turns and opens the car door of the passenger seat that's next to the driver's seat. She then gets inside.

Rivka leans forward and sees Max in the driver's seat. She then laughs at Max. "Hey, Max! How's your face?!" She keeps laughing.

Max looks at Rivka with an annoyed expression and he still has a bit of a mark on his face from Nero kicking him. "Shut up!"

Rivka laughs even more and waves to Betty. "Goodbye, Betty!"

Betty giggles and waves back at Rivka. "Bye!"

Rivka sees Betty and Max leave. She then gets herself together and starts to walk to her fencing class while wondering where Nero was since he has to take the same class with her. She soon gets to the dojo and sees that Nero is in front of the building. It seems that he has been waiting for her since he's motioning to her about going inside. This is all understandable because of the fact that Rivka was 10 minutes late for practice. They both went in and quickly got ready. Once ready, they meet up with Abigail for their lesson. At that same time, everyone is staring at Nero and they're whispering to each other.

Abigail looks at Nero while holding her face guard with her left hand and has her right hand on her hip. "So, you're my new student, and the new pilot that will be protecting us." She smiles. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Nero smiles and nods. He then bows down while closing his eyes. "It's nice to meet you too." He then straightens himself up while opening his eyes.

Abigail laughs while closing her eyes. "It's good to see that I have a gentleman as a student." She then opens her eyes.

Rivka looks at Abigail while smiling and nods. "Yeah! He sure is a good guy!"

Abigail suddenly looks at Rivka and she makes a surprised expression. "Wow, Rivka. You usually don't compliment people." She laughs to herself. "Especially guys. You must like him or something?" She covers her mouth with her left hand and laughs again.

Rivka blushes and she frantically shakes her head for a little bit. She then points at Nero while looking at Abigail. "No! I don't like him in any other way than as a friend! I only said that he's a good guy because it's the truth and that's it!"

Abigail puts her hand down while laughing again. She then waves her left hand at Rivka while smiling. "Calm down. I was just kidding, Rivka."

Nero quietly looks on. He then notices a male student, who's about the same age as him, walk up to him. Nero turns to face him. "Who are you?"

The boy arrogantly smiles at Nero while crossing his arms. "Since you seem to be so interested about who I am, I might as well tell you." He moves his light, long, green hair out of his face while still having his arms crossed. He then continues to smile while bowing down. "I'm the great Horace Ukora. I'm the best fencer in this school." He stops bowing and looks directly at Nero.

Nero tilts his head to the left in a confused way and thinks to himself. "I wasn't trying to seem interested about who he is." He sighs. "Oh well, there's nothing I can do about that now." He straightens his head and starts to speak. "So...you're the best fencer here?" He puts his hands behind his head.

Horace laughs loudly with his hands on his sides and he has his head pointing towards the ceiling. "That's right!" He then looks at Nero. "Are you impressed?!"

Rivka walks in front of Nero while having her arms crossed and she glares at Horace. "He might be if you weren't so annoying about it."

Horace makes a shocked expression. He then hesitates for a moment, but soon regains his composure and walks up closer to Rivka while making an arrogant expression. "You're just mad that you have never beaten me!" He smiles.

Rivka keeps glaring at him while getting annoyed. "Yeah, right! The only reason why I have never beaten you is because you keep dragging the match until class is over!"

Horace shrugs while gesturing with his hands and closing his eyes. He also has his head turned to the right. "It's not my fault that you're not strong enough to beat me before class ends." He opens his eyes while turning his head to look at her and smiles again.

Rivka grinds her teeth and yells at him. "You son of a...!" She lifts up her right hand and makes it into a fist. She then starts to throw a punch at him.

Abigail yells out. "Rivka! Don't do it or I'll have to suspend you!"

Rivka stops herself while making an aggravated expression. She then breathes deeply to calm herself down and puts her fist down while trying to regain her composure. "I know. Fist fights are forbidden." She looks at Abigail. "I'm sorry."

Abigail nods in approval. "It's alright. You can settle it when you face off for practice."

Horace backs up a bit while making a shocked expression. He then looks at Abigail. "What?! Are we going to face off now?!"

Abigail laughs to herself. "No, but you will face her next week. It's always more fair for both competitors to know who their opponent is going to be in advance." She closes her eyes and smiles.

Horace sighs to himself out of relief. He then looks at Rivka and points at her while making an arrogant expression. "You got lucky because I would have beaten you without breaking a sweat." He puts his hand down and laughs proudly. "You might have a better chance of winning since you have time to prepare."

Rivka gets irritated and points at him. "Oh yeah?! Then let's face off right now and see how confident you are!"

Abigail puts her right hand on Rivka's right shoulder while standing in front of her and she smiles at her. "Don't worry about it, Rivka. You'll get him next week." She looks at Horace. "Also, you shouldn't be laughing that much because your practice session will be specifically viewed by all of us."

Horace laughs again while shrugging. "Doesn't bother me a bit, but I feel bad for my opponent because he'll be humiliated in front of everyone."

Abigail puts her hand in front of her mouth while softly laughing. She then puts her hand down while looking at Horace. "We'll see about that." She turns and looks at Nero, who's still standing behind Rivka and he's not even paying attention due to him looking at the outfit that he's wearing. "Are you up to it, Nero?" She smiles.

Rivka looks at Abigail with a shocked expression. "Are you serious?! You're going to have Nero face Horace?!"

Abigail looks at Rivka while still smiling. "Yeah." She looks back at Nero. "Is that alright with you, Nero?"

Nero keeps looking at his outfit while pulling on it. "That's fine with me." He grabs his face guard and sword. He then looks at Horace while walking towards the practice area. He stops at his position and waits for Horace while thinking to himself. "Although, this kind of contradicts what Abigail said about knowing who you face before you fight them." He smiles to himself.

Horace looks at Nero. He then laughs and shrugs. "Sorry that you have to be a victim on your first day here." He puts on his face guard while walking to the practice area and he's holding his sword in his right hand. He then gets to his spot and gets into his fencing stance while he looks at Nero. "Are you ready?" He smiles.

Nero looks at Horace for a moment. He then looks at his face guard and sighs. "I guess..." He then turns his head to look at Abigail. "Is it really necessary to wear this stuff?" He points at the fencing clothes with his sword. "I feel very uncomfortable."

Abigail laughs while everyone else look at each other and they are amazed at what Nero said. "That's to protect you from getting hurt. It's very necessary, Nero."

Horace gets out of his stance and speaks while being irritated. "Yeah! Now stop complaining and get ready to lose." He laughs while getting back into his position.

Nero looks at Horace with just his eyes while having an emotionless expression on his face. He then turns his head towards Horace and suddenly takes off the entire outfit without saying a word. *He's wearing his school clothes under it, you perverts!*

Everyone that's watching is shocked and start to talk to each other.

Abigail's also shocked and yells out to Nero. "What are you doing?!"

Rivka walks up next to Abigail while she's surprised and she silently looks on.

Nero holds up his fencing sword with his right hand, while in a sideways position and he's looking at it. "I don't need it as long as I know I won't get hurt." He then smiles to himself.

Horace gets irritated again and yells while being enraged. "Really?!" He lunges towards Nero. "You think you can actually beat me?!" He jabs his sword at Nero while the people who are watching react to Horace's sudden attack.

Nero smiles and swiftly dodges to the left. "You're a very short-tempered person." He throws the sword to his left hand and quickly jabs Horace's left side, which earns Nero a point.

Everyone is surprised by how easily Nero got that point and they all start to talk amongst themselves.

Rivka's amazed and she starts to cheer. "That was awesome, Nero! Keep it up!"

Abigail smiles in an approving way and thinks to herself. "That was quite impressive."

Horace looks at Nero while being upset and shouts out. "That was just luck! You hear me?! Luck!"

Nero tilts his head to the left while putting the sword behind his head. "Whatever you say. The fact that I got a point over you still remains." He then laughs a little.

Horace grinds his teeth while glaring at Nero. He then rushes towards Nero while aiming his sword at him. "I'll make you bleed for that, you son of a bitch!"

Nero quickly blocks Horace's sword with his sword. He then deflects Horace's sword, which makes it go off to the side and Nero swiftly jabs Horace's mid-section and he quickly takes a few steps back. "That sounded like a threat, but don't worry about it. I won't report you." He smiles while laughing again as everyone else try not to laugh.

Horace gets pissed off while backing up and he turns a bit red. He then looks at Everyone and shouts at them. "Shut up!" He looks back at Nero. "I'm going to get you for that!" His eyes widen when he sees that Nero has vanished and he frantically looks around for Nero. "Where the hell did you go?!"

Nero appears right behind Horace and he's about to strike Horace's back. "Behind you." He smiles.

Horace gets startled and turns his head to look behind him. "Wait! Don't do it!"

Nero laughs softly. "Three points equals game over." He jabs Horace's back and that ends the match. As a result, everyone starts to applaud at Nero's performance and his victory over Horace.

Nero lowers the sword and gets out of position. He then turns and walks to Rivka and Abigail.

Abigail smiles at Nero. "That was very impressive. You also have incredible speed. I didn't even notice when you got behind Horace." She laughs.

Rivka hugs Nero while laughing and smiling. "That was amazing! You did great!"

Nero's a bit surprised and tries not to blush. "Ummm...thanks, Rivka." He laughs in a nervous way while trying to figure out what to do about Rivka's embrace.

Abigail smiles and leans towards Rivka. "Wow, Rivka. That's another first. You hugging a guy." She covers her mouth while trying not to laugh.

Rivka finally realizes what she's doing and quickly lets go of Nero while backing away from him. She then looks down at the floor while blushing a little bit. "It was just a congratulatory hug, that's all!"

Abigail talks with a sarcastic tone. "Oh, really?"

Rivka blushes more while trying to hide her face. "Yes..." She looks at Abigail while still blushing and has a stressed out expression. "Don't think it was anything else, Sensei!"

Nero laughs and shakes his head while his eyes are closed. He then quickly opens his eyes and sees that Horace is right next to him and he has an angry expression. "What's wrong with you?"

Horace still has the angry expression on his face while he's holding his sword with his right hand. "I want a rematch! It wasn't fair because you weren't wearing the fencing outfit, which obviously slows a person down!"

Abigail looks at Horace while straightening her composure. She then sighs. "Calm down. You two can have a rematch next week, alright?"

Horace looks at Abigail while still being angry. He then looks at Nero and shouts out. "Alright!" He points his sword at Nero. "Prepare to lose because this time you'll have to fight while wearing the fencing outfit!" He laughs in a triumphant way.

Nero looks at him while having a skeptical expression and laughs. "You must be mental."

Rivka laughs while she looks on as she's standing next to Nero.

Horace gets even more angry and shouts. "What was that?!"

Nero rolls his eyes and looks at him. "I didn't take off the protection outfit to win. I took it off because it was irritating my body. Although, now that I know how weak you are, then I know I can withstand the irritation long enough to beat you." He smiles.

Horace grinds his teeth while being more upset. He then turns around and walks away. "We'll see about that!"

Nero looks at Horace walking away. He then looks at Rivka while smiling. "I bet you'll beat him."

Rivka nods with a determined expression. "You got that right." She smiles at him.

Soon after that, class ends and both pilots head home. The rest of the day is spent relaxing since they have school the next day and fencing class as well. Both pilots will be experiencing a harsh lifestyle that they shouldn't be experiencing at this age, but since they hold the fate of the world in their hands, it can't be helped. In the mean time, Everyone else in the 2nd Branch are also working frantically to meet the deadline for the repairs of Eva Unit 04, which the deadline is Saturday.

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

I had to change quite a bit of stuff for this episode, which caused me to make adjustments to some of my previous episodes. Oh well...I'm still doing pretty well on the length of the episodes and I left off on a pretty good spot. There will be a good amount of action on the next episode, but I'll be lucky if I can finish the episode anytime soon.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	7. Episode 7

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

This will be my hardest episode so far and this is due to multiple reasons that I haven't figured out yet. *Laughs* Right now, the way I see the time frame for my episodes is that while the 2nd Branch was defeating 2 angels, the 1st Branch (The NERV in Tokyo-03) has defeated the 9th Angel, but there's some time until the 10th Angel, and I'll be basing about two or three episodes on this time frame. This episode will be what I said it will be or maybe even more. It really depends on what I'm feeling up for.

Episode 7: The 3rd Angel and Activation

Thursday was quite stressful for both pilots. They were surprised with a test that neither of them knew about. Although they were caught off guard, they were still able to pass the test and finish before everyone else. After school, there was an issue between Betty and Jonny due to their previous confrontation, but once again, thanks to Rivka getting involved, it was settled in a painful way for Jonny. (If you know what I mean *Laughs*) Soon after that, both Rivka and Nero headed to their fencing class. They quickly took care of that and once they got home, and some time went by, they went to bed without saying a word to Jerry, who was drinking some beer at the table. The day ended and Friday went by fast. Now it's Saturday and this is the deadline for Eva Unit 04's preparations. Everyone at the 2nd Branch are currently doing everything they can to get the Eva up and running.

Dana's sitting at her post while frantically typing on her computer. "This is ridiculous! How did the Committee expect us to finish the Eva before the day ends?! We still haven't tested its battle performance!"

Thomas looks at her while sitting at his post while getting annoyed and yells out. "I told you! But no one wanted to listen to me like always!" He then looks at his computer screen.

Jerry stands between the two of them as he's looking at the giant screen that is displaying different information about the Eva while having an annoyed expression. "Stop complaining! We'll manage to complete the set-up for Unit 04 somehow!" He looks at a side screen that displays the technicians and William. They're all currently hard at work with completing the body check on the Eva. He then says to William over the intercom. "How's everything going, Will?"

William looks at a small side that pops up in a hologram-like form as it displays Jerry's image. He then laughs and says with optimism. "Everything is going fine over here. We should have the body of the Eva in perfect condition in about 2 hours. He smiles while giving Jerry a thumb up with his right hand.

Jerry smiles and nods. "Good. Now that's the type of news that I want to hear." He then looks at both Dana and Thomas while nodding and smiling at them. "See. There was nothing to worry about." He then looks at the giant screen that's in front of him. "Now, all we have to do is have Nero ready to test it out."

Thomas looks at Jerry for a moment. He then looks back at his computer and thinks to himself. "I still think that we shouldn't trust Nero. We know nothing about him and I'm sure that he was sent by the Committee to keep an eye on us." He sighs softly to himself and looks at the back part of his hands while having them placed on the keys of his computer. "Something tells me that he'll be our downfall."

Nero walks in with his hands behind his head while already wearing a plugsuit that's almost completely the color grey with some black on the stomach region. The plugsuit also has the number 04 on the top part of the chest while being the color black. He's also currently wearing the brain-wave transmitters on his head as he's looking up at the giant screen while smiling. "Seems like everything is going well."

Jerry turns his head while smiling and puts his hands behind his back and says with a joyful tone. "Hell yeah! It looks like we'll be making it before the deadline! That means no budget cuts for us!" He laughs in a proud way.

Dana looks at Jerry and laughs at his enthusiasm while nodding in agreement. "That's right!" She then turns to look at Nero and sees him wearing his plugsuit. This causes her to be a bit surprised due to him wearing it already and asks him with a curious tone. "Why are you wearing your plugsuit so soon? The test activation for Unit 04 won't be until at least 3 hours from now."

Thomas' eyes widen and turns to look at Nero. He then thinks to himself while making a suspecting expression. "There must be a reason why he put it on so soon."

Jerry laughs again while placing his hands on his waist and still talking with a joyful tone. "It's alright! He just wants to be over prepared, that's all! It's better for us to have someone who's very eager to pilot the Eva." He then stops and looks around for a moment while being a bit curious. "Where's Rivka?"

Nero tilts his head to the left while smiling and lowers his hands behind his neck as he's looking at Jerry. "She's still in the locker room." He then thinks to himself while looking away as he makes a nervous expression. "And I have a good idea why." He then looks back at Jerry and says to him. "She wasn't feeling well yesterday. So most likely she's still not feeling well."

Jerry makes a concerned expression and scratches his head with his left hand. "I hope that she's alright." He then looks back at the screen and suddenly makes a worried expression while thinking to himself. "Oh no...I hope it isn't her time of the month." He looks to the side while making a slightly nervous expression and sighs.

*Girls' Changing Room*

Rivka has just gotten out of a shower that's in the changing room as she's wearing a towel while holding her belly. She then looks at the bench that has her plugsuit on it and it's installed into the room. She then walks to it and grabs her plugsuit while taking off her towel. She then slowly puts on her plugsuit while saying to herself with a slightly irritated tone. "Being a woman is hard. But there's nothing I can do about it." She sighs while looking down. She then looks up at the ceiling while the plugsuit is only covering the lower part of her body. "Today's the day that Nero will be tested in his Eva." She faintly smiles to herself and says with a caring tone. "I hope he'll be alright." She then slowly closes her eyes and thinks about the past.

*Flashback: 5 Months Earlier*

Everyone is frantically moving around as they see Eva Unit 05 in the testing room and it's going berserk. This was Rivka's first prompting with the Eva and soon after activation; she lost control of it without doing anything wrong. This had occurred only after a couple of months of Rivka having joined the 2nd Branch with the others who had also joined at the same time.

Jerry leans towards Dana while panicking. "Cut off all the circuit! Make sure that the pilot is safe!"

Dana frantically types on her computer to see what the MAGI are providing on Rivka's situation as she's also panicking. "I'm doing everything I can! But the Eva is working on its back-up power!"

Thomas is in complete horror while putting his hands over his head and screaming. "It's no good! We're all going to die! I knew we shouldn't trust some bratty girl!"

Isabel's currently sitting at her seat that's located in her office as she's leaning forward with her hands placed on her seat. She then yells out with a commanding tone while looking through the giant glass of her office. "Shut up!"

Thomas stops whining and looks at her while having a nervous expression.

Isabel makes a serious expression and points at Thomas with her left hand. "If you say one more word, you're going to have to find yourself a new job!" She then puts her hand down and looks at William, who's monitoring the Magi's progress. "Will the bakelite fluid stop it?!"

William leans on one of the MAGI while looking at it as he contemplates to himself for a moment. He then yells out with a stern tone while looking at her and nodding. "Yeah! It'll work!"

Isabel looks at Frank, who's standing to her right as he has a serious look on his face. She then looks at everyone in HQ and yells out. "Release the bakelite fluid!" They all nod in response and make the necessary preparations while the Eva continues to cause destruction in the testing room. Suddenly, the bakelite fluid is released and it completely stops the Eva.

Jerry yells out while having a concerned expression. "Send someone to get the pilot out! Her safety is our number one priority!" He then looks at everyone to show how serious he is. As a result, they acknowledge his command and they all do whatever they can to aid the pilot. Jerry then yells into the microphone with a worried tone while looking at the testing room. "Rivka! Are you alright?! Answer me!"

Rivka's voice then responds while sounding exhausted as she's still in the Eva. "I'm alright...I'm just a bit out of it."

Jerry smiles out of relief and looks down while breathing heavily. "That's good." He then looks up while a tear goes down his face from his left eye. "I'm glad that you're alright."

Rivka's currently leaning against her seat while in the darkness of the entry-plug and she giggles a little. She then yawns and says with a faint voice while looking towards the ceiling. "I'm tired..."

Jerry laughs as hard as he can while bending forward and holding onto his stomach with both hands. He then straightens his posture while putting his hands down and says with a happy tone. "Well, as soon as we get you out, I'll take you home." He then wipes away the tear from his face with his right thumb.

Rivka smiles lightly. "That's good." She closes her eyes and passes out.

*End Of Flashback*

Rivka has her plugsuit completely on as she heads towards the door and thinks to herself. "It took me two months after that to get a hang on my Eva." She then stops at the door and sighs to herself while looking down at the floor. "I was so terrified of piloting again that I really didn't want to get back in the Eva." She slowly looks at the door again while having a serious expression. "But I have to pilot to protect everyone." She's then startled when she suddenly hears the emergency alarm go off and quickly looks up out of concerned. She then says to herself. "No! It can't be another angel!" She then runs out the door of the changing room and heads towards HQ to see what's going on.

Meanwhile in HQ, everyone starts to get ready for combat. They find out that the angel is located at the outskirts of the city and it's doing as much damage to the area as possible. The giant screen is currently displaying what exactly the angel is doing. The angel walks on two legs, it is shaped like a person, its entire body is black with yellow stripes that run across its body and it has 4 horns on its head with each horn being on a different side of the head. This angel's eyes are completely black while it has razor-sharp teeth that makes it look like it's smiling in an evil way, and it carries two black swords in its hands. (Sounds pretty beast if you ask me *Laughs*) All personnel are at their positions and they're making the necessary preparations to set up Eva Unit 05.

Jerry says through the intercom with a commanding tone while he's standing at his usual spot. "Rivka! If you can hear me, go to your Eva! We have an angel attacking the outside part of the city!" He looks at the side screen that displays William, who is working with the technicians that are getting Eva Unit 04 prepared, and yells out. "Is there any chance that you can have the Eva ready to help Rivka?!"

William shakes his head while having a sad expression. "There's no possible chance for us to do that because the body wasn't completed. It would be too risky for the pilot." He then turns to look at the Eva for a moment and quickly looks back at the screen that shows Jerry's image. "Anyway, Nero hasn't been tested yet with the Eva, and that means we aren't sure if he would be of any help."

Nero hears the last part of what William said and gets a bit irritated while leaning against the wall that's behind him. He then thinks to himself. "He's not sure if I would be of any help? Then what would have been the point of me being here?" He then sighs to himself while closing his eyes and lowering his head.

Jerry pauses for an instant. He then turns to look at Nero while making a concerned expression. "Are you alright, Nero?"

Nero opens his eyes and looks at Jerry while having an emotionless expression. "Well, it sounds like I won't be piloting my Eva. So, I guess that I'm not alright." He then smiles in a jokingly way to show that it doesn't really bother him that he can't pilot.

Jerry smiles back at Nero. He then turns and makes a sad expression while looking up at the giant screen and thinks to himself. "I can tell that Nero's bothered by not being able to pilot even though he makes it out that it doesn't." He then sighs to himself while still thinking. "This isn't good. If things go bad, the Committee would obviously blame us for not having Unit 04 ready."

Thomas quickly turns to look at Nero while having a serious expression. "Did you know that the angel was going to attack this entire time?"

Nero looks at Thomas while tilting his head to the right in a confused way. "What are you talking about?"

Jerry gets annoyed and looks at Thomas while yelling at him. "Don't start, Capt. Russell! This isn't the time!"

Thomas gets up from his seat and looks at Jerry while still having a serious expression. "Think about it, Major!" He then points at Nero while still looking at Jerry. "He's out here, already wearing his plugsuit, as if he knew from the beginning that there was going to be an angel attacking!" He then puts his hand down and continues to plead with Jerry while gesturing a little bit with his hands. "Also, it's too much of a coincidence that the angel attacked on the same day that Eva Unit 04 was supposed to be completed!"

Nero softly laughs while looking down at the floor. He then looks up at Thomas with a smile. "So, you're accusing me of knowing more than what I actually do? This is just because I wanted to put on my plugsuit ahead of advance." He then shakes his head out of disbelief while still smiling.

Thomas grits his teeth and turns to look at Nero as he yells. "Shut up!"

Jerry gets even more annoyed and looks down at the floor while yelling. "Shut it, Thomas!" He then looks up at Thomas and points at him as well. "Get back in your seat and focus on the task at hand! Stop accusing Nero of these ridiculous accusations!"

Thomas looks at Jerry while being a bit shocked. He then gets upset and is about to say something, but decides to calm himself down and sit back in his chair while yelling out in annoyance. "Fine!" He then looks at his computer and starts typing while thinking to himself. "But don't come crying to me if he betrays all of you."

Nero tries not to laugh while still leaning against the wall. He then walks up to the left of Jerry and looks at him with an apologetic expression. "Sorry about that. I didn't know that me over preparing would cause so much trouble."

Jerry looks up at the giant screen while crossing his arms and smiling. "It's alright. Let's just focus on getting Rivka out there and let's beat that angel."

Nero nods in agreement and looks at the giant screen as well. He then thinks to himself while having an emotionless expression. "If only they knew my true purpose of being here." He then looks down at the floor and sighs. After that, shrugs and softly says to himself so that Jerry doesn't hear him. "Oh well..."

Dana frantically continues to type on her computer while yelling out with a professional tone. "Rivka has just made it to the Eva! It's apparent that she did hear you and now the Eva will be ready to be launched in five minutes!" She stops typing and looks at Jerry with a smile.

Jerry looks back at her and smiles. "That's good to hear." He then looks at the giant screen again and says into his microphone with a stern tone. "Rivka! We'll be sending you right behind the angel! That way you can get the jump on it! Got it?!"

Rivka's now sitting inside the entry plug while holding onto the controls and she nods while smiling confidently. "Got it! Don't worry, Jerry! I'll get that bastard!"

Jerry laughs while being pleased at Rivka's response. "That's great! Give it your all, Rivka!"

Nero looks at the giant screen with an intense expression while the giant screen is currently showing the angel as he thinks to himself. "I wonder why the angel isn't heading towards us? All it's doing is destroying things in a random fashion." He then scratches the right side of his head with his right hand while having a bit of a confused expression.

Rivka tightens her grip on the controls while looking at the black screen that's in front of her and whispers to herself. "Stay focus. Don't hesitate at all. And don't lose to those bastards!" She then closes her eyes while breathing in deeply and exhaling out, so that she can stay calm. "I can do it." She then opens her eyes and looks at the screen again with determination.

Dana keeps looking at the computer while saying with a calm tone. "The Eva is ready to launch."

Jerry nods to himself and yells out while looking at the main screen. "Then Launch Eva!"

In response, the Eva is then launched and it quickly reaches the surface. As soon as it arrives, Rivka sees the angel from behind as it continues its onslaught on the nearby buildings. Rivka then thinks to herself while leaning forward to get a better look at the angel. "There you are. Let's see how you like getting shot from behind." She then aims her Evas rifles at the angel.

Jerry suddenly yells out with a commanding tone. "Shoot, Rivka!"

Rivka nods to herself in response to Jerry's command and starts to shoot at the angel while yelling out. "Take that!" She then keeps firing at it as multiple bullets reach the angel.

Nero watches the screen as the bullets head towards the angel and sighs to himself while mumbling. "Bad idea."

3rd Angel *Lucifiel* takes some of the bullets to the back. Then without turning, it jumps to the air while doing a back flip and lands behind Eva Unit 05.

Jerry's surprised at the agility of the angel and then quickly gets worried while yelling out. "Rivka, look out!"

Rivka looks behind her while having a shocked expression and yelling out. "What the hell?!" She then tries to turn Unit 05 to face Lucifiel.

Lucifiel moves with extremely fast speed, and it's face is instantly right in front of the Eva's face. It then swiftly swings it's left sword upwards and cuts right in the middle of the Eva's chest plate.

Rivka screams in pain and pulls the Eva backwards to gain some distance. She then puts her right hand on her chest while breathing heavily. "Damn it! That hurt like hell!" She then looks at her hand that's over her chest for a moment. She then looks up and stares at Lucifiel while getting pissed off. "That bastard is freaking fast!"

Jerry's voice comes from the intercom while sound a bit worried. "Rivka! Are you alright?!"

Rivka keeps staring at Lucifiel while still breathing heavily. "I'm alright, but that really hurt!"

Jerry looks at Thomas and Dana. "What's the status on the Eva?!"

Thomas looks at Jerry for a moment. He then looks at his computer and types while saying with a serious tone. "The damage seems to be minor. It looks like the cut didn't go completely through the armor."

Dana looks at Jerry as well and nods while having a worried expression. "Yeah, but we can't relax yet! That angel has to have more tricks up its sleeves! Did you see how fast it is?!"

Jerry looks directly at Dana and bites the nails of his left hand while thinking to himself. "That's true, but at least now we know that the angel is fast." He then looks up at the giant screen while he stops biting his nails and puts his hand down. "The only issue is what we're going to do against such a fast enemy?" He then makes a worried expression.

Nero puts his hands behind his head while still looking at the screen and says with a calm tone. "I don't think the angel is going to wait all day for you to think of something."

Jerry looks at Nero with a concerned expression. He then looks back at the screen and gets startled. This is due to seeing Lucifiel suddenly sprint towards Unit 05 with incredible speed while getting ready to swing both swords at the Eva. He then yells out of panic. "Rivka! Watch out!"

Rivka makes a shocked expression as she sees the angel head towards her. She then quickly makes Unit 04 pull back again while yelling out. "Crap!" Fortunately, she's able to barely dodge the attack and when she gets to a safe enough distance away from it, she glares at it. "Damn, that shit was close!" She then looks at a small screen that shows Jerry's image that had appeared to her right while making a concerned expression. "What do I do?!"

Jerry pauses for a moment while looking down. He then looks back up at the screen and says to Rivka. "Just keep your distance while firing your rifles, but wait until it attacks though. It can easily jump out-of-the-way if you fire too soon. Once it attacks then you'll be able to get it in a vulnerable position."

Rivka nods and looks back at the angel while saying confidently. "Got it!" She then tightens her grip on the controls and stares Lucifiel down. "Come and get me!"

Jerry sighs while crossing his arms and waits to see what happens next.

Nero looks at Jerry with a slightly disappointed expression. "You know that's not going to work, right?"

Jerry's eyes widen and looks at Nero with a surprised expression. "What do you mean that it's not going to work?!"

Thomas turns his chair and gets up while being consumed with anger. He then walks up to Nero and stops right in front of him as he grabs Nero by the collar of his plugsuit with his left hand. He then yells at him with a glare. "What the hell gives you the right to contradict the Major?! I should deck you for that!"

Dana looks at them and gets up from her chair while lifting her hands up in front of her. "Don't do it, Captain!"

Jerry looks at Thomas while still crossing his arms and makes a calm expression. "She's right. Don't do anything that you'll regret." He then uncrossed his arms and puts his left hand on Thomas' left shoulder.

Thomas looks at Jerry and says with an arrogant tone. "I won't regret this!" He then looks back at Nero. "This kid needs to show some respect!" after saying that, he raises his right hand and curls it into a fist as he gets ready to punch Nero.

Isabel yells from her office while standing as she's clearly upset. "You hit him and I'll have you arrested, Captain! Now let him go!"

Thomas stops himself and quickly looks up at Isabel while having a shocked expression. He then looks down at the floor while grinding his teeth and reluctantly lets go of Nero. "Alright." He then turns and walks back to his post. He then sits down while looking at his computer.

Dana sighs out of relief while putting her hands down and watching Thomas get back to his post. She then sits back down and looks at her computer while saying softly to herself. "Thank goodness."

Jerry shakes his head in disappointment while looking at Thomas. He then hears Rivka suddenly scream and he quickly looks at the screen while having a worried expression and shouts. "Rivka!" He then sees that the Eva is sent flying into the air and crashes into a near by mountain that's outside of the city. He then desperately yells out. "What just happened?! Respond, Rivka!"

Rivka gasps for air while holding onto the controls as her face is covered by her hair and she has her head lowered. "It came at me so fast...I wasn't able to react to it quick enough." She then moves her hair out of her way by swinging her head back a little and looks at Jerry's screen while still breathing heavily.

Jerry looks at Nero while having a shocked expression. "Is that what you meant?! Did you know that it could go faster?!"

Thomas looks at Jerry from his post and yells out with a proud tone. "I told you that he knew something that he wasn't telling us!"

Nero sighs while looking at the screen. He then closes his eyes momentarily and looks at Jerry again. "Yes, but I knew that because I've already realized that the angels are smart. They don't always show everything they got right from the get go." He then looks at Thomas while leaning a bit forward since Jerry's in his field of vision. "It has nothing to do with me knowing about the angel attacking, alright?" He then smiles in a smart-ass way.

Thomas looks back at his computer while he mumbles to himself out in a manner that can't be understood.

Jerry snaps his right hand's fingers out of frustration while gesturing that hand in front of himself. "Damn it!" He then looks at the screen while putting his hand down and being upset. "Now we're seriously at a disadvantage!"

Nero looks at Jerry with curiosity as he straightens his posture and thinks to himself. "Giving up, already?"

Dana looks at Jerry while having a concerned expression. "Does that mean, we don't have any chance of survival?!"

Jerry sighs and looks at Dana. "We still have a chance. Although, it's a small one." He then looks back at the screen.

Thomas looks at the status of Unit 05 and says with an arrogant tone. "That chance would never happen. This time the Eva took some serious damage due to the angel's attack. Also, the Eva crashing into the mountain didn't help." He then sighs while looking up. "It's hopeless."

Jerry gets irritated by Thomas' comment and looks at him with an upset expression. "Don't say that!" He then turns to look at the Commander. "We still got a shot!"

Isabel nods while having a serious expression. She then glances at Frank, who's standing next to her and is watching intensely at what's happening.

Jerry smiles to himself while turning back around. He then looks at the screen while thinking to himself. "We still have a chance."

Nero looks at everyone with a calm expression while thinking to himself. "I guess, I'll have to step in." He then stops looking at them while slowly backing away. He then turns and walks away without any of them noticing and keeps thinking to himself as he leaves the room. "This is going to be a hell of a work out." He then smiles to himself.

Jerry yells out with urgency. "Rivka! You got to get up!"

Rivka struggles with the controls. "I hear you loud and clear." She then grunts while getting the Eva back to its base as she's looking down.

Jerry sighs out of relief but then sees the angel making its move and yells out in horror. "Watch out!"

Rivka looks up and gets startled because of Lucifiel instantly appearing in front of her Eva. It then, with incredible speed, slices the Eva's left arm off and smiles in an evil way at the same time. It then sends Unit 05 backwards with a ferocious kick to the chest. As a result, Rivka screams while the Eva crashes through the mountain. This causes the mountain to crumble, but luckily, Rivka's able to not let the Eva fall down. She then grabs onto her left arm while trying not to scream from the pain, but does yell out of rage as she glares at Lucifiel. "Oh my God, that hurt!" She then leans against her seat while trying to calm down.

Everyone at headquarters are all concerned while some start to panic. Fortunately, Jerry isn't panicking, but he is very mad at the fact that the angel hurt Rivka. He then slams his hands on the rails that are in front of him and yells out. "That son of a bitch!"

Dana starts to cry due to hearing the pain that Rivka's in. She then cover her face while lowering her head and mumbles to herself. "Oh, Rivka." She then keeps on crying.

Thomas gets becomes very upset and hits his right leg with his right fist while yelling out. "Damn it! Now we're really dead! There's no way we can win now!" He then closes his eyes.

Dana moves her hands out of her face and looks at Thomas while trying her best to stop crying. "Don't say that! We still have a chance, right?!"

Thomas looks at her with an irritated expression. "You idiot! What chance is there if she's missing a freaking arm?!"

Jerry looks down and sighs. He then looks up at the main screen and says with a calm tone. "Rivka. Can you fight through the pain?"

Rivka hesitantly grabs the controls and nods while gritting her teeth. "Yeah..." She then stares at the angel. "Should I use the N2 missiles?"

Jerry looks away while making a worried expression. "I don't know." He then looks back at the screen. "The only way it would work is if the angel gets close enough. Even so, it's nearly impossible to set-up the cannons to shoot them while you only have one arm. Especially with the way that angel moves. I don't want you to take any pointless risks."

Thomas yells at Jerry while panicking. "Just do it! She's supposed to do anything to protect us! Even if she loses her life to do it!"

Jerry glares at Thomas and then marches up to him. Once he stops right in front of Thomas, he quickly pulls his right arm back and punches him in the face. He then passionately yells out while pointing at Thomas with his right hand. "Never say that again!" He then puts his hand down while intensely glaring at Thomas.

Dana's jaw drops out of being shocked.

Thomas holds his cheek while being stunned for a moment. He then turns to look at the Commander while yelling out. "Aren't you going to do anything about that?!"

Isabel stares at Thomas with disgust and then looks back at the screen without saying a word.

Thomas is speechless for a moment. He then gets upset and turns back to look at his computer while thinking to himself. "I hope she dies then."

Jerry turns around and walks back to where he normally stands as he looks at the screen once again. He then says with an encouraging tone while putting his hands on his sides. "Don't give up, Rivka! We know you can win!"

Rivka breathes heavily while she continues to stare at the angel and thinks to herself. "I'm glad that you believe in me, but this angel is tough. I don't know if I can win."

William's voice then suddenly comes from the intercom while sounding quite desperate. "Major! Someone has hijacked Eva Unit 04!"

Rivka looks at Jerry's screen while having a surprised expression. "What was that?!"

Jerry's shocked and starts to panic a bit while looking at the side screen that soon displays the cage and William. "What do you mean?!"

William looks directly at Jerry's image while in the background the Eva has just launched. This causes William to do a quick double-take towards where Unit 04 was and then focus on Jerry. "As you just saw, the Eva has been launched! It's heading towards Rivka and the angel as we speak!

Dana lets out a small gasp while looking around and yells out. "Nero's not here!"

Jerry looks at her and then rapidly looks around. "Crap! Since we're so use to having one pilot, we didn't notice that he wasn't here anymore!" He then turns his attention towards the main screen that now shows that Nero is in the entry plug of Eva Unit 04. He then yells out into his microphone with a concern tone. "Nero!"

Eva Unit 04 arrives right in front of Eva Unit 05. Unit 04 looks like Eva Unit 03 with the exception of its color being silver while having some black on its arms. It has a silver shield, that looks like a slightly smaller version of the shield that Rei used against the 5th angel in episode 6 of the original series. The shield is in Unit 04's left hand while it holds a red duplicate of the Lance of Longinus in its right hand. *Side note: I took this from the video game that has Kaworu as the pilot of Eva Unit 04* This Eva doesn't have an umbilical cable like Eva Unit 05 due to the experimental S2 engine that's installed.

Nero's focus is currently on Lucifiel while leaning forward and he shows no response to Jerry's cry.

Thomas thinks while watching the screen and whispers to himself. "I knew it. He's nothing but trouble."

Jerry looks at the screen that shows William and asks with a pleading tone. "Please tell me that the Eva was finished!"

William shakes his head while making a sad expression. "I'm sorry, Jerry. We were almost done, but in this case, almost doesn't cut it. I don't know even know how Nero got the Eva to activate. It wasn't even configured to his mentality."

Jerry's stunned at the fact that Unit 04 wasn't even configured yet. He then regains some of his composure as he looks back at the main screen that's showing both Evas and the angel. He then thinks to himself. "If that's the case then how the hell is he synchronizing with the Eva?!"

Nero stares intently at Lucifiel with an emotionless expression maintaining a grip on the controls.

Rivka has a concern expression as she stares at Unit 04's back while thinking to herself. "Why does this look so familiar?" She then sees a sudden flash of a memory that shows Nero's back in class. This causes her eyes to widen due to being surprised while still thinking. "That's right! It's just like Nero's back when we're in class!" She then says to Nero with a concern tone. "Nero! What are you doing?! I thought Unit 04 wasn't ready yet?! You're going to get hurt!"

Nero keeps looking at Lucifiel while he suddenly smiles with confidence.

Rivka yells out while having a distraught expression. "Are you listening to me?!"

Nero's image then appears on Rivka's right side screen as he's smiling at her with his eyes closed. "Don't worry, Rivka. I'll be careful and protect you." He continues to smile while slightly tilting his head to the right.

Rivka pulls her head back as she blushes a little. She then looks away from Nero for a moment while trying to regain some composure. She then hesitantly looks back at him and sees on her main screen that Lucifiel is rushing towards Eva Unit 04. She then yells out to Nero while making a panicked expression. "Watch out!"

Lucifiel charges at Unit 04 and gets ready to cut downward with both swords by having them over its head.

Nero instantly looks at his main screen and makes his Eva swiftly dodge the attack right when the blades came down by jumping to the right. While in mid-air, he turns the Eva's body thanks to it having rocket boosters installed inside both lower thighs, which this is done by the armor plates on that region opening up. Unit 04 then swiftly throws the lance straight at Lucifiel and it quickly pierces the angel in the stomach. As a result of the momentum of the lance, Lucifiel is sent flying into another mountain that was behind it while Unit 04 landed on its feet and Nero smiles to himself. "Direct hit." Due to Nero's counter-attack being a success, everyone at headquarters' surprised and start to talk among themselves.

Jerry's jaw had dropped from being surprised while watching the screen. He then mumbles to himself. "That was amazing..." He then smiles widely and shouts out while clenching his hands into fists and throwing out a couple of joyful punches. "Finally there's some damage!"

Thomas looks on while having stood up from his chair due to also being surprised at what he saw while having his hands placed next to his computer. He then makes a distrusting expression while thinking to himself. "How the hell did he do that without any prior testing with that Eva?! Something really stinks about that kid!"

Rivka looks at Eva Unit 04 while being amazed and whispers to herself. "That was incredible. I can't believe he got it with one attack."

Lucifiel gets up and puts its left sword in its right hand with the other sword. It then grabs onto the lance with its free hand and forcefully pulls it out of its stomach. As a result, a lot of blood sprays out of Lucifiel's stomach while giving out a loud roar from the pain with its head tilted back. It then focuses its attention back on Unit 04 due to it being the cause of the pain and quickly tosses the lance behind it while doing a fast sprint towards the Eva.

Nero smiles and doesn't do anything while the angel charges at him.

Jerry yells out while making a worried expression. "Move, Nero!"

Lucifiel tosses one of the swords to its left hand before reaching Unit 04 and then swings the sword that's in its right hand with a lot of force in a sideways angle.

Nero fluently makes Unit 04 raise the shield to block the attack. The sword then makes contact with the shield, which causes a small shock wave. The sword and shield then both break in half simultaneously. Nero witness this immediately and quickly concentrates to have Unit 04's A.T. Field push Lucifiel back. After seeing that, everyone at headquarters is amazed.

Jerry smiles and yells out while throwing out a fist-pump with his right hand. "There you go!"

Rivka smiles and cheers. "Way to go, Nero! Now finish him off!"

Lucifiel stumbles backwards while trying to hold its ground.

Unit 04 suddenly throws what's left of the shield at Lucifiel's left arm. This causes it to let go of its other sword as the sword is sent flying and is planted onto the ground. Nero then nods to what Rivka says while smiling. "It will be my honor!"

Lucifiel looks at where its sword had fallen for a moment and then looks back at Eva Unit 04 with an intense glare.

In response, Nero makes Unit 04 dash towards Lucifiel with incredible speed and suddenly has the Eva jump off Lucifiel's chest when it reaches it. This makes Lucifiel start to fall backwards while in mid-air and above the falling Lucifiel, Nero makes Unit 04 spin. As it spins, it then comes crashing its feet into Lucifiel's stomach and a big impact is created when Lucifiel hits the ground. This resulted in a giant crater being made as Unit 04 stops spinning after the impact. Nero then smiles while looking down on at Lucifiel and says with a smart-ass tone. "Did you like that?" He then chuckles to himself.

Lucifiel roars out from the pain it felt from the Eva's attack. It then glares at the Eva again while still laying in the crater. It then gives out a hideous roar that's directed at Unit 04.

Nero keeps smiling. He then makes Unit 04 gracefully jump off the angel while doing a front-flip and it lands right in front of the lance that had actually been planted onto the ground when Lucifiel tossed it. Unit 04 then grabs the lance with its right hand and turns to stare at Lucifiel. It then charges towards Lucifiel and jumps up into the air while Nero yells out with determination. "Now, take this!" He then makes the Eva pull the lance above its head with both hands and right when the Eva meets with Lucifiel as it descends, he stabs Lucifiel's core that's located on its chest while Unit 04 still hasn't touched the ground. This attack causes Lucifiel to give out one final roar as it suddenly explodes and the explosion is in a form of a giant, white cross.

Everyone at headquarters see the explosion and they all start to cheer while one person in specific doesn't cheer. This obviously being Thomas while he's gritting his teeth and thinks to himself. "Damn it! We got our asses saved by him!"

Jerry crosses his arms and smiles while thinking to himself. "Good job, Nero. You're now officially one of us." He then chuckles lightly to himself.

Rivka stares at the explosion that's slowly fading away while being a bit concern. "I hope Nero is alright. The Eva wasn't complete, so we don't know how durable it is against explosions." She then smiles as she sees Eva Unit 04 is unharmed and yells out joyfully. "Nero!"

Nero makes the Eva face Rivka's Eva. He then smiles from his entry plug while putting his left hand behind his head and makes an apologetic expression. "Sorry if I made you worry." He then puts his hand down and makes a caring expression. "Are you alright, Rivka?"

Rivka keeps smiling and nods with confidence. "Of course!" She then points at herself with her right thumb. "It takes more than this to affect me!" She then closes her eyes while putting her hand down and giggles.

Nero laughs and closes his eyes as well while tilting his head to the left. "Good to hear!"

With their third victory in hand, the 2nd Branch is full of confidence. But this is just the tip of the iceberg because this was being specifically watched by the Committee and you can bet that they were spectating the performance that was displayed.

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

I finally finished this episode and it only took me like forever! But it wasn't my fault! *Laughs*. Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this episode and I was trying to be as creative with it as possible. This episode was a good length and now, I have to start the next episode. I loved how I came up with Nero's piloting style. I think it really fits him perfectly. Also, if you got advice on future episodes, please let me know because I would like to hear what you have to say. I might actually use your idea and obviously give credit where credit is due.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	8. Episode 8

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

After having Nero gain his first victory, I started to debate about what this episode should be about. Even though I thought about it for a bit, I couldn't really figure out what I was going to write. So, I decided just to improvise and see where it gets me *Laughs*. I don't think this episode will take me so long to finish, but depends on how long I make it. I hope you all enjoy this episode and try not to kill me if you don't.

Episode 8: Relationships and Rematch

After the last angel attack, both pilots deserved a long rest. Thanks to Nero's performance and Rivka's determination, the Committee didn't cut the budget for the 2nd Branch. Although, there was a price to be paid. Eva Unit 05 had received sufficient damage that repairs had to be done and the Eva can't be used until the repairs are completed. Also, Nero was chewed out by the Commander for being so reckless, but was quickly forgiven due to his victory over the angel. Both pilots got the next day off (Sunday), even though they weren't suppose to get the day off, but the Commander said that she would handle any repercussions. The pilots spent their Sunday resting and they didn't say anything to each other again. Rivka soon regrets that when Monday finally comes as its 7:15 in the morning while Rivka's on her cellular with Betty.

Rivka's laying on her bed as she's already wearing her uniform. She holds her cellular to her left ear and has her other arm above her head while saying to Betty with a concerned tone. "You're definitely going to ask him out today?"

Betty's voice comes through the cellular while sounding very excited. "Yeah! I've been looking forward to doing it all weekend! But I need your help to break the ice!"

Rivka softly sighs while closing her eyes for a moment. She then opens them while making an uncertain expression. "Do you really need my help?"

Betty responds with a pleading tone. "Yes! He avoids me when I try to talk to him. It's very hard to ask him out when he does that."

Rivka looks to the side while contemplating for a moment about what to do. She then sits up and looks at the floor while putting her other hand on her lap and calmly says. "Doesn't that mean, he doesn't want anything to do with you?"

Betty yells out in a defensive way. "Not exactly! The actual problem is that every time I try to confront him, Jonny interferes. That's what keeps me from making full contact! Jonny needs to get it through his stupid head that I'm done with him!"

Rivka closes her eyes while she smiles and giggles. She then says with a cheerful tone while giving out a short nod. "You got that right!"

Betty responds with a happy tone. "Yeah! I'm going to be with Nero! He's the type of guy who seems to protect the people he cares about! I love that in a guy!" She then giggles a little.

Rivka opens her eyes while making a bit of a sad face. She then looks to the right side out of the corner of her eyes and thinks to herself. "Come to think of it, that's actually the type of guy Nero is. He risked his own life to protect me from the angel." She then starts to become stressed out while closing her eyes and yells in her mind. "Am I actually ALRIGHT with the possibility of them dating?!"

Betty suddenly gasps and then says with an urgent tone. "Oh, wow! I have to go! I'll talk to you in school, and remember to back me up!" She then laughs.

Rivka softly sighs and looks down at the floor. "Alright, see you later."

Betty yells out in a very enthusiastic way. "Bye!" She then hangs up.

Rivka hangs up and sighs again while still looking down. "I have a bad feeling that I might not be able to handle them dating." She then gets up and walks out of her room while still thinking about Betty wanting to date Nero. She then stops walking and looks around while she's in the kitchen. She notices that Nero isn't in the kitchen or the living room. She then quickly opens the door to go outside and looks to see if he's there, but she doesn't see him at all. After that, she shuts the door and goes back to the kitchen. She then looks at the clock and it says that it's 7:35. This causes her to say to herself while being a bit worried. "Where is he? Did he go on ahead?" She then looks at Nero's door from the kitchen and walks towards it. "He usually waits for me to walk with him." She knocks on his door, but doesn't hear any response and that makes her feel concerned. "Nero? Are you there?" She then hesitantly reaches for the doorknob while slowly grabbing onto it and opens it. She then sees Nero turned the opposite way from her as he's still sleeping. This irritates her since she was getting worried over nothing and then marches up to his bed while yelling out. "Wake up, Nero! It's time for school! We're going to be late!"

Nero's still turned around and shows no signs of him hearing her.

Rivka gets more irritated at him. She then gets on her knees and shakes his body to wake him up while yelling out. "Get up, Nero!" She pulls on his body harder and harder while being determined to wake him up.

Nero turns and lies on his back due to Rivka's determination, but continues to sleep while his face is red as he's breathing heavily and sweating quite a bit.

Rivka's stunned by what she sees and quickly regains her senses while putting her right hand over his head. She then gasps while making a shocked expression and yells out. "Oh my God! He has a high fever!" She quickly gets up and leaves the room while having a concerned expression and thinks. "I have to get him a cold towel!" She then goes to the laundry room and gets a small, blue towel. She then rushes to the kitchen and fills up a metal bowl with cold water. As soon as she does that, she rushes back to Nero's room with the towel and bowl while still being concerned and says to him. "I'm back, Nero!" She then puts the bowl down and knees down next to the bed. She then wets the towel, folds it up, and places it on Nero's forehead.

Nero flinched due to how cold the towel is and slowly starts to breath in a more calm way while the redness of his face fades away a bit.

Rivka looks at Nero while still having a concerned expression and says with a caring tone. "Everything will be alright." She then pulls out her cellular and calls the school to notify them that her and Nero wouldn't be attending school today. She then hangs up the phone and stares at Nero, who's now soundly sleeping. She smiles as a result of seeing this and says with a sincere tone. "I hope you feel better."

The day goes by with Rivka continually tending to Nero and had to explain to Betty the issue over the phone, that way Betty wouldn't be upset that she couldn't ask him out today. Nero's fever had slowly dissipated while Rivka spent the entire time waiting for Nero to recuperate completely. It was 8:00 at night by the time Nero had woken up, while at the same time, Rivka had passed out from exhaustion and her head is on Nero's chest.

Nero looks at her as he takes off the towel from his head while making a curious expression. He then slowly moves out of his bed while gently laying Rivka's head on his bed so not to disturb her. He's now standing right next to her while placing his right hand on his forehead and looks upwards at his hand. "Well, it seems like my fever is gone." He puts his hand down and looks at a sleeping Rivka while he smiles and whispers to her. "Thank you for taking care of me." He then turns and walks out of his room while shutting the door. After entering the living room, he looks around and realizes that Jerry isn't home while at the same time he notices how late it is by seeing how dark it is. "Whoa. I've been out for a long time." He then walks to the refrigerator and looks inside of it while thinking to himself. "I guess I can make some Japanese food since they haven't had any before."

Nero starts to make dinner while Rivka continues to sleep. While he makes the food, he watches what's on the news about the history of the 2nd Impact. He has dinner prepared by 9:00, but Rivka's still asleep. As a result, Nero decides to go take a quick shower while he continues to wait for Rivka to awaken. Before he gets out of the shower though, Rivka starts to wake up.

Rivka opens her eyes and slowly raises her head. She then looks for Nero while getting up as she's still tired and mumbles to herself. "Where did he go?" She yawns and walks towards the door while rubbing her left eye with her left hand. She opens the door while putting her hand down. She then walks to the kitchen while still looking for Nero and has a concerned expression. "He shouldn't be going anywhere in his condition."

Nero opens the bathroom door and walks out while wearing a long-sleeved, dark grey shirt that has a cross on the bottom left corner of the shirt. He's also wearing grey pants that has a small cross on each leg's shin region. He then notices Rivka while she's standing in the kitchen and smiles while putting his hands in his pockets. "Hey. You're finally awake." He gives out a short laugh.

Rivka quickly turns around to look at him and smiles. "And I see that you're feeling better!"

Nero nods and walks up to the counter. "Yeah. I rarely get sick, but when I do, I feel like I'm going to die." He laughs while starting to serve the food that he's prepared and then says with a calm tone. "Sit down. I made dinner for us."

Rivka's a bit surprised while she slowly walks to the table. She then sits down while putting her arms on the table as she watches Nero. "You know how to cook? I didn't know that."

Nero keeps serving the food on two plates and softly laughs. "Yeah. That's something I had to learn since I didn't have any parents to cook for me."

Rivka makes a sad expression and looks at her hands while thinking to herself. "He's right. Without any parents around, a child would have to grow up a lot sooner than other kids WITH parents." She then looks at him while still thinking to herself. "But didn't he have anyone to look after him?" She keeps looking at Nero's back while saying to him with curiosity. "Didn't you have someone to take care of you?"

Nero finishes serving the food and picks up both plates. He carries the plates to the table and puts one in front of Rivka and the other one across from Rivka. He then sits down where he had placed his plate and stares at Rivka with an emotionless expression. "Yeah. I had no one at all. So as a result, I had to take care of myself." He looks down at his plate and starts to eat.

Rivka makes a sad expression while thinking to herself again. "That's terrible. It seems like his life has been filled with loneliness."

Nero looks up at her after he swallows some of his food and smiles. "By the way, thank you for taking care of me."

Rivka just looks at him with a surprised expression. She then smiles back at him and nods. "You're welcome." She then looks down at her plate and starts to eat her food while enjoying it with a cheerful shout. "This is delicious!" She looks up at him and smiles again.

Nero looks at his food and then looks back at her with a smile while closing his eyes. "Thank you."

They continue to eat their food and soon after that, Nero decides to go to bed to get more rest. Rivka also goes to her room and changes out of her school uniform since she's been wearing it the entire time and takes a quick shower before going to bed. As she's laying on her bed, she thinks about tomorrow because she knows that Betty will definitely ask Nero out. With that, the day ends and school comes the next day with a whole new issue that Rivka knew that it couldn't be avoided. It's lunch time and Betty's searching for Nero while being in the classroom.

Betty's currently sitting at her desk while looking around with concern shown on her face. "Where is he?" She then looks at Rivka. "Are you sure he came to school today?"

Rivka looks back at Betty from her seat and sighs while rolling her eyes. "Yes. I'm sure he's here because he walked with me to school. He also sits right in front of me," she says that last part while pointing at his desk.

Betty starts to look around again while being very anxious. "Then where is he?!" She gets up from her seat and looks at Rivka again. "I'm going to ask some of the other girls if they have seen him. They'll definitely know since they're all crushing on him too." She then turns and walks away from Rivka.

Rivka tries to stop her but is unable to and just watches Betty ask around while thinking to herself. "Betty's coming off a bit desperate." She sighs while still thinking to herself and holds her head up with her right hand on her right cheek. "Oh well...I guess, I just have to let her do what she wants." She then sighs again while whispering to herself. "I wonder if he'll actually date her. I think that would be difficult for me to deal with."

Betty quickly walks up to Rivka after having spoken to some of the girls in their class and says with excitement in her voice. "I know where he is!"

Rivka looks up at her while still in the same position and makes a surprised expression. "Really?! Where is he?!"

Betty smiles proudly at her. "I'll show you!"

Rivka gets up while looking down and takes a few steps around her desk. This is so that she'll be in front of Betty as she looks at her with a hesitant expression. "Then let's go."

They both walk out of the classroom and go down the hall. They soon reach the stairway that leads to the roof and walk up it while Betty gets more anxious each second about asking Nero out. While at the same time, Rivka's still wondering what will happen. They soon reach the roof and quickly see that Nero's sitting on the floor as he's leaning against a fence that is built around the roof. That's so no one falls off the roof. Nero's calmly reading a Bible, which it can be noted that he's real close to finishing the entire book.

Betty joyfully yells out while she smiles and waves at him. "Nero!"

Nero doesn't respond and continues to read the Bible while having a focused expression.

Betty frowns while she groans and looks at Rivka with a sad expression. "You see?! He completely rejects me!"

Rivka looks at Betty with concern and then looks at Nero with concern while putting her left hand on her hip and yells out. "Hey, Nero?! Can you hear me?!"

Nero still doesn't respond and instead of looking at them, he turns the page of the Bible.

Rivka walks up to Nero while having a concerned expression and then bends over when she reaches his bed while yelling at him. "Hey, Nero! Answer me!"

Betty watches Rivka while standing in front of the door as she also has a concerned expression.

Nero suddenly blinks rapidly while making a confused expression and slowly looks up at Rivka. He then takes off the earphones that he had on with his right hand and says with curiosity. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Rivka's a bit amazed after seeing him take off his earphones. She then smiles at Nero while straightening her posture. "Wow! That's why you couldn't hear us! You were listening to your music!"

Nero nods his head as he turns off his music player and then makes a confused expression. "What do you mean by 'we'?"

Rivka keeps looking at Nero for a moment. She then turns to look at Betty and waves to her. "Come here!"

Betty nervously walks towards Rivka as she's looking away from both of them. "I'm coming."

Nero just stares at Betty as he gets up from the floor. After getting up, he puts his hands behind his back while holding his music player in one hand and his Bible in the other. He then glances at Rivka with a curious expression while thinking to himself. "I wonder what this is about?" He then looks back at Betty while calmly waiting for her to get to Rivka.

A cold sweat goes down the left side of Rivka's face while she makes a nervous expression and thinks to herself. "This is going to be awkward."

Betty stops right next to Rivka and looks at her while still being a bit nervous. "Ummm...Rivka?"

Rivka just looks at Betty while being a bit confused. She then realizes what she's supposed to do while saying. "Oh, right." She looks at Nero and smiles while extending out her right arm towards Betty to introduce her. "This is my best friend, Betty."

Betty nervously waves at Nero with her left hand while smiling at him. "Hi."

Nero looks at Rivka for a moment while being slightly confused about what's happening and then looks at Betty. He then smiles while closing his eyes and waves back at her with the hand that has his music player in it. "Hello."

Rivka sighs softly while lowering her head and putting her arm down. She then elbows Betty to remind her about what she's supposed to do.

Betty looks at Rivka while putting her hand down and nods at her while making a determined expression. She then looks at Nero and clears her throat before saying with a confident tone. "I wanted to ask you something, Nero."

Nero opens his eyes while making a curious expression and puts his hand behind his back again. "What is it?"

Betty breathes deeply and sighs while she looks down at the floor. She then says while being quite nervous. "I was wondering...if you would..." She looks at him while her head is still pointing down and she blushes a little. "If you would...like to go out with me?"

Nero blinks in a confused way. He then looks at the sky and contemplates to himself while not saying a word.

Rivka then asks him with a curious tone as she has both hands on her hips while leaning towards Nero. "Well, what's your answer?"

Nero looks at Rivka for a moment and then looks back at Betty while having an emotionless expression. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

Betty gasps and walks up a bit closer to Nero while having a sad expression. "Why?!"

Rivka's surprised, but at the same time relieved as she puts her hands down while staring at Nero. She then thinks to herself. "He said no. He actually said no!" She then smiles for a moment, but quickly stops smiling and looks at Betty with a concerned expression due to her being rejected.

Betty's upset and pleads with Nero. "Tell me, why?! Is it because I'm not pretty enough?!"

Nero bows to her in a respectful way while looking at the floor. "It's not that." He then straightens himself and looks at her with a sincere expression. "I just don't believe that it would work out considering that we don't really know each other." He then looks away while smiling lightly. "Anyway, a person like me doesn't deserve to be in a relationship." He looks back at her. "It's more about the faults in me than anything. You're a beautiful girl and any guy would be lucky to be with you."

Rivka walks up closer to Nero and looks straight into his eyes while having a serious expression. "Is there another reason why you don't want to date her?" She then makes a determined expression. "Anyway, everyone deserves to be in a relationship and you shouldn't let that belief stop you!"

Nero looks right back at Rivka and then looks down at the floor again while trying not to blush. "Well, with the whole me not being deserving aside, the only other reason that I have is that..." He pauses for a moment as he blushes a little.

Rivka notices him blushing and pulls her head back a bit while being surprised by it. She then thinks to herself. "Did he just blush?!"

Betty quietly looks at both Rivka and Nero with curiosity.

Nero looks up at Rivka while his head is still lowered and he's still blushing a little. "The truth is that there's already someone who I have certain feelings for. I don't want to date anyone else if I had a choice."

Rivka and Betty are both stunned as they look at each other with shocked expressions.

Betty smiles and looks at Nero for a moment. She then looks back at Rivka while saying with a sarcastic tone. "I wonder who may that be?" She smiles at her.

Rivka looks at Betty and blushes slightly. She then looks away while thinking to herself. "There's no way that he's talking about me! There's just no way!"

Nero sighs while regaining his composure and walks pass them while looking at Betty. "I'm sorry for turning you down." He looks ahead of himself for a moment. He then stops and turns around to face Betty. "But we could be friends, and I'll make sure to protect you from anything as well." He then smiles at her.

Betty turns around while having a shocked expression. She then smiles and nods while yelling out with joy. "That sounds great!"

Rivka turns around and looks at Nero with curiosity while thinking to herself. "Did he say "as well"?" She then looks away from both of them and keeps thinking to herself while having a concerned expression. "Could that mean that Betty isn't the first one that he's decided to protect?"

Nero looks at Rivka while still smiling. "I'll see you in class and after school, Rivka."

Rivka looks at Nero while having a nervous expression and then smiles. "Alright, see you later."

Nero turns around and walks away while thinking to himself. "I wonder if she'll figure out, who I'm talking about?" He then smiles to himself and shrugs. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

Rivka watches Nero walk away and then looks at Betty while still having a nervous expression.

Betty watches Nero leave as well and looks back at Rivka while making an evil smile. "I bet the two of you would make a cute couple." She giggles.

Rivka blushes while gritting her teeth as she's a bit irritated at Betty's statement and then yells out. "Oh, shut up!"

Soon after that, Rivka and Betty leave and go back to class. Betty isn't bother by her being rejected at all because of the fact that she's having too much fun with Rivka about what Nero said. Due to that, Rivka goes through a huge pain of having to hear Betty mention, who Nero could possibly like. This continues to the next day and now, all students are attending athletic class. Nero, Rivka and Betty are in the gym, where the swimming pools are located.

Rivka sits on a bench while watching people swim as she's wearing a dark blue one piece swimming suit, which is regulation swimming wear. She then thinks to herself while looking around. "I wonder where Nero is. I haven't seen him in the pool yet."

Betty's sitting down next to Rivka while also wearing the same type of swimsuit and elbows her as she points towards the pool. "There's Nero."

Rivka looks over at the pool for a moment and sees that Nero's about to go in it. She then looks at Betty with an irritated expression. "What did I tell you about reading my mind?!"

Betty looks at Rivka and giggles nervously. "What are you talking about?"

Rivka looks away and sighs to herself while saying with a plain tone. "Never mind..."

Betty giggles again while covering her mouth. "Alright."

Rivka looks at Nero, who's already in the pool as he's swimming as fast as ever. She then thinks to herself. "He's purely amazing." She puts her right hand over her chest while breathing a bit heavily. "I wonder if I should tell him about how I feel." She then closes her eyes while pointing her head down as she's still thinking to herself. "I wonder if it'll be a good idea."

Betty sees Rivka acting strange and she's about to say something until she sees Jonny walking towards her. She then starts to panic while yelling out. "Oh no! Jonny's coming!" She then quickly gets up while having a shocked expression.

Rivka opens her eyes while looking up at Jonny and makes a surprised expression. She then gets up next to Betty while glaring at Jonny.

Jonny has an upset expression as he's wearing his school uniform. He then stops right in front of Betty and Rivka while pointing at Betty and yells out in a harsh tone. "How dare you try to get a new boyfriend?!" He then points at himself with his left hands thumb while saying. "You're my bitch, you got that?!"

Betty's stunned by his comment and then slowly starts to cry while covering her face with both hands.

Rivka becomes enraged by seeing Betty crying and turns her attention towards Jonny while getting ready to punch him in the face. "You're going to regret saying that!"

Jonny looks directly at Rivka while he gets ready for the punch and does gesture as if he's asking to be hit while yelling out with confidence. "Give it your best shot, bitch!"

Nero suddenly appears and intervenes before Rivka's punch reaches. He does this by grabbing on Jonny's shirt from behind and pulls him hard enough for Jonny to fall backwards into the pool. As a result, all the other students that are in the gym and in the same pool Jonny fell into start to laugh.

Rivka stops herself and looks at Nero with a surprised expression. She then rushes pass Nero and up to the pool to look at Jonny struggle in the pool. She then starts to laugh as well while holding her stomach with her left hand while pointing at Jonny with her right.

Betty quickly moves her hands out of her face and smiles when she sees that Jonny has fallen into the pool.

Jonny regains his composure and yells at Nero while still in the pool as he's really pissed. "What the hell?! You got my clothes wet, asshole!"

Nero walks up to the edge of the pool and crouches down while water drips from his body due to him being in the pool not too long ago and smiles at Jonny. "That's what happens when you mess with my friends." He then softly laughs.

Rivka and Betty both smile and look at each other while nodding in agreement.

Jonny tries to get out of the pool while looking at Nero with a fierce glare as he's still really pissed off. "You should have minded your own business! Those bitches don't deserve to be protected!" After saying that, the other students stop laughing and some of them are annoyed by what Jonny just said.

Nero gets a bit irritated as he stands up straight. He then suddenly kicks Jonny in the gut, which causes him to fall back into the pool. Nero then yells at Jonny with intensity in his eyes. "Stop calling them that! If I hear you call them that one more time I'll aim for your face next time!"

Jonny chokes on some of the water while yelling out. "Y-You bastard!"

Betty quickly walks up to Nero and hugs him while being filled with joy. "Thank you for sticking up for me!"

Nero smiles while calming down. He then hugs her back with his left arm and scratches his head with his right hand. "Anytime." At that moment, all the other students start to applaud Nero for his actions.

Betty stops hugging him while the other students stop applauding and go back to their business. Betty then looks at Rivka with a smile. "You should thank him too." She then giggles.

Rivka blushes and turns to her left to face away from them while closing her eyes and crossing her arms. "I could've handled it myself."

Nero tilts his head to the left while smiling at Rivka. "I know, but your way would have gotten you hurt."

Rivka looks at him out of the corner of her eyes and says in a proud tone while she stops blushing. "Don't forget who you're talking to!"

Nero laughs while putting his right hand down. "You're right, but you're still working on restraining yourself." He smiles again.

Rivka sighs as she faces them again and thinks to herself while being a bit frustrated. "Damn it! I forgot that I agreed to that!"

Jonny gets out of the pool from the other side and yells out. "I'll get you for this!" He then walks away.

Rivka looks at Jonny walking away and shakes her head in disbelief. She then looks at Nero and smiles at him. "Thanks, Nero."

Nero looks at Betty and then looks back at Rivka with a smile. "You're welcome, Rivka."

School continues until it ends and soon after that, both pilots part ways with Betty and they go to their fencing class. Once they get there, they part for a moment that way they can both put on their fencing clothes in separate locker rooms. Nero doesn't like the idea of wearing those uncomfortable clothes, but has to deal with it because today is the day for the rematch against Horace. Both pilots eventually go out to the practice room and are soon welcomed by Abigail.

Abigail smiles while she waves at the pilots. "Good afternoon. Are you both ready?"

Rivka's eyes widen as she walks up to Abigail while making a surprised expression. "Oh, that's right!" She looks at Nero, who's right next to her. "I was supposed to face Horace today too."

Nero looks at her while he gives out a short laugh and putting his hands behind his head. "Did you actually just remember that? I could have told you that."

Horace walks up to them while he has an upset expression and he looks directly at Abigail. "That's not fair, Sensei! I was only supposed to face against one person!" He then glares at both Nero and Rivka.

Abigail smiles while she says with a calm tone. "Then how about this? You face against Nero first and if you win, you don't have to face Rivka until next week." She points at him while still smiling. "But if Nero wins, then you have to face Rivka afterwards, alright?" She then puts her hand down.

Horace looks at Abigail while having an irritated expression. He then sighs while he closes his eyes and calms down. "Fine." He opens his eyes and looks at Nero with a serious expression. "I'll win this time!" He then points at him with his left eye. "I'll show you that your win was a fluke, got it?!" He puts his hand down and glares at Nero.

Nero looks at Horace with an emotionless expression. He then smiles at him and turns away to walk to the practice area. As he does this, he holds his sword in his right hand and his face guard in his left hand.

Rivka covers her mouth and giggles as she watched Nero walk to the practice area. She then looks at Horace while putting her hand down and smiles. "You're screwed." She then laughs.

Horace looks at her while having an enraged expression and yells at her in a loud tone. "Shut it!" He then turns and walks to the practice area with his sword in his right hand and his face guard in his left hand. He then stops in front of Nero and yells out while he stares at Nero. "I won't lose!"

Abigail walks up next to Rivka while she's still smiling and whispers to Rivka while watching Nero and Horace. "You're right about Horace losing."

Rivka's watching Nero and Horace for a moment. She then looks at Abigail while smiling and she looks back at Nero and Horace. "Then what's the point in them facing off?" She laughs.

Abigail keeps smiling. "Because Horace needs to be put in his place. He's mistreated so many students with his rude remarks, that it's about time he gets what's coming to him and that he stops with all his boasting about him being so great." She then looks at Rivka. "If I were to face him and beat him, he would just say that it's because I'm the teacher." She then looks back at the two boys.

Rivka looks at Abigail and nods while she smiles again. She then looks at Nero while she thinks to herself. "Kick his ass, Nero!"

Both Nero and Horace walk up to each other. They hold up their own sword in front of themself and turn back around as they put on their face guard and put lower the sword. They then turn back around to look at each other as everyone in class watch intently at this face off and some are talking among themselves.

Horace gets into his stance by lowering his body into a side way position with his sword pointing towards Nero. He gives an intense stare at Nero while thinking to himself. "I'll let him make the first move. Once he does that, his blind spot will be revealed and I'll get him." He then smiles to himself in an evil way.

Nero doesn't get into a stance and just looks at Horace with an emotionless expression. "Are you afraid?" He then tilts his head to the right and smiles.

Horace stops smiling and has a stun expression for a moment. He then gets upset while gritting his teeth and yells out. "I'm not afraid! It's called strategy!"

Nero keeps smiling while making a sarcastic expression. "Really? I didn't know morons could think? Let alone come up with a strategy."

Rivka covers her mouth with her left hand while trying not to laugh as all the other students do laugh a little bit. She then thinks to herself. "That was a good one! I should definitely remember that one!" She then puts down her hand and smiles while still watching Nero and Horace face off.

Horace looks at everyone that's laughing and then looks at Abigail while having an annoyed expression. "Tell them to shut it, Sensei!"

Abigail sighs and closes her eyes while pointing her head downward. She then opens her eyes and looks up at Horace with a sad smile. "You fell for it."

Horace makes a confused expression and then turns his attention to where Nero is supposed to be standing at. He then sees that he isn't there and he's shocked while yelling out. "Where did he go?!"

Nero quickly jabs Horace's back with the fencing sword three times while smiling. "I'm behind you." He laughs and says proudly. "And I just won."

Horace gets out of his stance and turns around while having a stunned expression. He then takes off his face guard and yells at Nero. "But! That's not fair!" He then points at Nero. "You cheated!"

Nero keeps smiling and shrugs while lowering his sword. "It's not my fault that you looked away when I made my joke. You made that mistake all by yourself." He then laughs again.

Horace looks at Abigail with an upset expression. "That's not fair! I want a do-over!"

Abigail shrugs while looking at Horace. "Even though Nero may have made that joke to distract you, you're the one at fault for falling for it and left yourself vulnerable. So, you still lose and now you have to face Rivka." She looks at Rivka and smiles at her.

Rivka looks at Abigail and smiles back at her. She then looks at Horace and makes an evil smile. "This time, you won't weasel your way out of this."

Horace looks at Rivka and laughs with confidence. "You're going to wish that you never said that!" He then puts on his face guard again while he smiles in an arrogant way.

Rivka walks to the spot where Nero had originally started from while she puts on her face guard. She then gets into her stance, which is similar to Horace's stance, and yells out at Horace. "Yeah, right!"

Horace keeps smiling while watching Rivka. He then gets into his stance.

Nero walks while passing Horace and heads towards Rivka. He then stops right in front of her and smiles at her.

Rivka looks at Nero while making a confused expression. She then gets out of her stance and thinks to herself. "Nero?"

Nero closes his eyes and turns to walk away. As he starts to walk away he says. "Good luck, Rivka. I know you can beat him." He keeps smiling as he opens his eyes and walks to Abigail.

Rivka watches Nero out of the corner of her eyes and smiles while thinking to herself. "Thank you." She then makes a serious expression and focuses on Horace while getting back into her stance.

Nero gets to Abigail and turns around to look at Rivka and Horace while still smiling.

Abigail looks at Nero for a moment while having a curious expression. She then smiles and turns her attention back to Rivka and Horace. After doing that, everyone else in the dojo watches Rivka and Horace stare each other down. They then start to chant Rivka's name due to them wanting her to win. This causes Horace to get really irritated and decides to charge at Rivka. He then starts jabbing with his sword while still in his stance.

Rivka blocks every jab that comes at her and pulls back little by little due to Horace's forceful charge. She then says with confidence. "You're going to have to do better than that." She giggles and then stares at him with a serious expression.

Horace gets a bit more irritated and hits Rivka's sword with his sword even harder. "How about this?! Can you keep up?!"

Rivka keeps blocking Horace's strikes. She then stops his sword with her sword and goes for a close press to have them face to face. "You're trying to overpower me! Bad idea since I'm stronger than you!" She then smiles.

Horace turns red from the comment. He then grinds his teeth out of embarrassment and yells. "You bitch!" He then forces the swords apart and then hits Rivka's face guard with his face guard. As a result, everyone gasps and they look at each other while being unable to say anything to each other.

Even though Rivka's face guard protected her face, she falls backwards to the ground. She then looks at Horace with a shocked expression.

Abigail gets very upset and puts her hands on her hips while yelling at Horace from where she's standing. "Horace! How dare you hit her?! You know better than that!"

Horace looks at Abigail while softly laughing and he then says while smiling in an arrogant way. "The bitch deserved it!"

Rivka's eyes widen as she just look at Horace with disgust.

Nero becomes enraged and then slowly walks up to Horace while clenching his fists as he's looking at the floor. He then stops in front of Horace while still looking at the floor.

Horace looks at Nero while still smiling and says with arrogance. "What do you want?! Do you have a problem with me?!" He then chuckles.

Nero bites his tongue and then lifts up his head to glare at Horace. He then quickly pulls his right arm back and punches right through the face guard while ignoring the fact that the front part of the face guard is made of thick glass. Due to the sheer force of Nero's punch, the glass breaks and Horace is hit right on his nose. This causes everyone that's watching to be amazed while they're jaw drop at the same time.

Abigail puts her hands over her mouth while having a shocked expression and yells out. "Oh my God!"

Horace falls flat on his back while holding his nose as he's screaming. "That fucking hurt!" He then starts to roll an around a little due to the pain he's feeling.

Nero puts his fist down and stares at Horace with an emotionless expression while saying in a smart-ass way. "Does that answer your question?"

Rivka stares at Nero while having a surprised expression. She then looks down and sees that Nero's right hand is bleeding and makes a worried expression. "Nero! Your hand is bleeding!"

Abigail hears what Rivka said and quickly rushes to Nero while having a concern expression. "Let me see your hand, Nero."

Nero lifts up his clenched fist in front of him and looks at it with a calm expression.

Rivka quickly gets up and walks up next to Nero. She then looks at his hand while still being worried. "That looks like a pretty bad cut!"

Abigail stands in front of Nero and grabs Nero's wrist to get a better look at his hand. She then says with a serious tone. "We have to get it cleaned up and put some bandages so that it won't get infected."

Horace sits up while still in pain as he's holding his nose with his left hand and yells out with a distraught voice. "What about me?!"

Rivka looks at him while putting her hands on her hips and makes a frustrated expression. "What about you?!"

Abigail looks at Rivka with a calm expression. "Just ignore him, Rivka. Take Nero to the clinical room and get some disinfectant ointment and bandages to wrap up his hand."

Rivka nods and pulls Nero's arm of the injured hand and leads him to the clinic. "Come on, Nero." Nero obediently follows her without saying a word.

Abigail watches them walk away. She then turns to look at Horace, who's still sitting on the floor, and she has an upset expression. "Horace!"

Horace looks up at Abigail while still covering his nose and responds with a hesitant tone. "Yes?"

Abigail yells at him with a serious and angry tone. "You're expelled!"

Horace puts his hand down while his jaw drops. He then quickly gets up while being upset. "But, why?!"

Abigail's still angry. "Because you hit Rivka and because of that, Nero's hand is bleeding! Anyway, the arrogance you constantly show and the disrespect that you have towards your fellow classmates make me SICK!" She then points at the exit while saying. "Now, get out!"

Horace immediately gets his stuff and leaves while still wearing his fencing clothes. Meanwhile, Rivka is bandaging Nero's hand while being a bit worried. She's currently sitting on a chair while Nero's sitting on a bench that's against one of the walls in the clinic.

Rivka's looking at Nero's hand as she bandages it. "Are you alright?"

Nero looks at her with a smile while he leans against the wall that's behind him. "I'm alright. But more importantly, how are you?"

Rivka looks up at him with her eyes and blushes for a moment. She then looks back at his hand and keeps bandaging it while she talks in a nervous way. "I'm fine. My face guard protected me."

Nero keeps smiling while looking at her. "That's good."

Rivka stops blushing and finishes bandaging his hand. She then looks at him and smiles. "That should do."

Nero looks at his hand while Rivka's still holding it and laughs softly while looking at her face. "You know you're still holding my hand, right?"

Rivka looks down at their hands and blushes again while quickly letting go of his hand. She then holds her hands together while their between her legs as she's looking away from him. "Sorry..." She then glances at him while still blushing.

Nero smiles while saying with a sincere tone. "It's fine."

Neither one of them say a word for a moment. Abigail then comes in with a concerned expression while holding Nero and Rivka's book bags. She then looks at Nero and says with a concerned tone. "Are you alright?" Nero looks at her and nods with a calm expression.

Rivka turns to look at Abigail while smiling. "Yeah. I bandaged it up."

Abigail hands them their book bags and smiles. "That's good. You two should head on home."

Rivka gets up while facing Abigail and she talks with an annoyed tone. "What about Horace?"

Abigail keeps smiling while looking at Rivka. "I expelled him for instigating the entire incident. He's gone."

Rivka sighs out of relief and smiles. She then yells out in a proud tone while putting her right fist up in the air. "That's what he gets!" She then looks at Nero while putting her hand down. "Let's go home!"

Nero looks at Rivka and nods while smiling at her. "That sounds good."

They both say goodbye to Abigail and head home. Both pilots spend the rest of the day minding their own business. They soon realized that Jerry wasn't coming home today and decided to eat without him. During dinner they didn't say a word because of Rivka not wanting to say something that she shouldn't. The day ends with both pilots going to bed and both of them wondering what will happen next, when it comes to this life of theirs.

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

This episode took me a good amount of time to finish and I even had to cut out a part that I thought didn't fit my true vision. We'll see if it was the right choice. It took me a bit to find some motivation to continue on with these episodes, but now I have the ending in my mind and I must continue to write. Although, it will take me some time to finish my story, so please be patient. This was another long episode and my next episode won't be as long. It might be my shortest episode, but we'll have to wait and see. As some people may have notice, I have a bit of a pattern of how many episodes you have to wait until the next angel attack, but this time I doubt the next episode will have one or maybe the one after that. I'm not completely sure about that, but either way, I'll try to make it entertaining and do what comes natural to me.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	9. Episode 9

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

Like I said before, this episode will be more of a drama of the lives of the pilots and there's no angel attack. For that same reason, I might be making this episode shorter than the others but I still have to make it a good length. Who knows, this episode could be longer than I expect. Also, I really have to improvise quite a bit on this episode, just like I did with the last episode, and I hope that it turns out well. Wish me luck.

Episode 9: Nero's Memories

The next day went fairly quick, considering that Nero's hand was still bandaged from punching through the face guard. Betty showed some concern when she saw his hand, but Rivka reassured her that everything is alright. The rest of the school week went by smoothly without a hitch. Meanwhile, in the 2nd Branch, Dana and Jerry are looking over the recorded information of the last angel attack.

Dana sits in front of her computer while typing on it as she's focusing on what she's reading.

Jerry's right next to Dana as he's leaning forward to see the computer screen with curiosity shown on his face. "What's the analysis?"

Dana keeps looking at the screen and says with a surprised tone. "It's amazing! Nero's sync ratio during the battle against the 3rd Angel was over 90%!"

Jerry looks at her while having a surprised expression. "That is amazing! The Eva wasn't even configured to Nero!" He then straightens himself up and crosses his arms while watching a soundless replay of the last battle on the main screen. He then smiles while saying confidently. "Just imagine how high his synchronization will be when the Eva is configured to his mentality."

Isabel appears out of nowhere and walks up next to Jerry while looking at the giant screen as well. "You got that right."

Jerry gets startled for a moment due to suddenly hearing Isabel's voice. He then slowly looks at her while smiling in a nervous way. "Hello, Commander. I didn't know you were going to be here today."

Dana looks at Isabel and quickly stands up while saluting. "Hello, madam." She then puts her hand down while maintain a professional posture.

Isabel looks at Dana and nods with approval while motioning that she can sit down, which Dana does exactly that. Isabel then looks back at the main screen with concern brimming. "It seems like our new pilot was literally born to do this."

Jerry keeps looking at her for a moment. He then looks back at the main screen while having a sad expression. "That's the unfortunate part."

Isabel looks at him while still being concerned as she puts her hands behind her back. "Why do you say that?"

Jerry looks down at the floor and sighs. "Because that means that Eva has been his entire life." He then looks at her out of the corner of his eyes while his head is still pointing downward. "That means he has no life. Or better put, he probably doesn't desire a life."

Isabel frowns while being sadden by what Jerry just said. She then looks back at the main screen. "You may have a point. But we don't know if that's true since we have no information on him."

Jerry looks up at the screen and thinks to himself. "For that same reason alone, is the reason why I believe that he's the way he is now. Let's just hope that he isn't what Thomas has been making him out to be." He then looks down at the floor again while still thinking to himself. "Because it's starting to look like there's more to Nero than meets the eye and that he could actually be here to deceive us." He looks a bit to the side while sighing. "Which of course, that wouldn't be good for Rivka. I can tell that Nero's having a real effect on her, and if he is here to deceive us, then there's no way that she'll be alright afterwards."

The scene fades into black and the main focus is now on the apartment where both pilots reside. School had been quite peaceful for both of them, even though it felt like it took forever to end. Rivka is currently in her room sleeping after eating some food that Nero had prepared. The reason for her going to sleep so early was because she was tired from all the boredom that school brought. In the meantime, Nero is in the living room while he sits on the couch and he's talking on his cellular to Chairmen Keel.

Chairmen Keel says with a serious tone. "I saw your performance. You did a good job."

Nero leans forward while holding his head up by placing his left hand's knuckles under his chin as he's looking at the floor. "Thank you, sir."

Chairmen Keel says firmly. "Any issues with the 2nd Branch's personnel?"

Nero closes his eyes and sighs. "Just with one of them. He keeps accusing me of knowing more than what I'm suppose to know."

Chairmen Keel gives out a menacing chuckle. "Well, of course. You do have an IQ well over 200. You're a genius beyond all other geniuses. Also, I'm sure that you haven't revealed all your intelligence to even me."

Nero lightly smiles while opening his eyes and removing his hand from under his chin. He then places his left leg on the couch to have his knee near his chest while resting his left arm on it. "Of course. How could they possibly know that? I act as if my IQ is of an average teenager when I'm around them. They can kind of tell that I'm a bit bright, but that's it." He then pauses for a moment while resting his chin on his left arm and says with a smile. "And you shouldn't have to worry about me hiding how smart I am."

Chairmen Keel says with an approving tone. "That's true. Now, continue with your mission and don't waver for a moment."

Nero looks up at the television that's currently muted while showing the news and nods to himself. "Yes, sir."

Chairmen Keel's about to hang up but realizes something and says with a slightly curious tone. "By the way, how's your relationship with the 6th Child?

Nero suddenly blushes a little due to Keel's sudden question as his eyes widen. "What?!"

Chairmen Keel rephrased his question due to hearing Nero's reaction. "Your relationship with the 6th Child. Have the two of you come to terms that way she doesn't interfere?"

Nero tries to regain his composure while leaning against the couch as he's looking at the ceiling. "Yeah. We have come to terms. You don't have to worry about her."

"Good. Keep up the good work." Chairmen Keel then hangs up.

Nero hangs up his cellular while breathing a sigh of relief. He then says to himself while smiling. "That was weird. I thought he was going to say something completely different." He keeps looking up at the ceiling while holding his cellular in his right hand. "What am I thinking? Of course it wouldn't be anything other than about the safety of the mission." He laughs to himself while putting his cellular in his pocket.

After doing that, Nero looks at the television that's still muted and thinks to himself. "Just do as you're told, Nero. There's no point in trying to be happy. So don't worry about anything involving Rivka." He then sighs as he gets up. He then turns and walks to his room while making an emotionless expression. Once he's in his room, Nero shuts the door and lies down on his bed while looking at the ceiling with his arms behind his head. "I've had to deal with so many different ceilings that I'm really starting to get sick of it." He then reaches for his music player that's on the floor next to him, puts it on, closes his eyes and quickly falls asleep.

It's now Saturday and this will be Nero's first official test day since there was no real focus on testing his performance last weekend. That's obviously thanks to the angel attacking. Both pilots are in their own respective testing plugs while they wait patiently for the test to begin. Jerry and the others look on from their usual positions while they're in the viewing room to monitor the test.

Jerry has his arms crossed as he's looking at a large status screen that shows the pilots' sync ratio data. The screen is located right next to a large plexiglas that shows the room that testing plugs are in.

Dana stares at her computer with a serious look while sitting in her chair and says with a firm tone. "We're ready to commence the test."

Thomas nods while looking at his computer as he's sitting in his chair with a calm expression being displayed.

Jerry looks over at William with a smile. "Shall we?"

William's currently sitting on a chair while having a modified laptop on his lap. The laptop has multiple cables connected to it that are connected to the MAGI System. He looks at Jerry while smiling back at him. "Yeah." He then looks at his laptop while slouching a bit forward and starts typing on it.

Jerry nods while closing his eyes and turning his attention back to the status screen and the room that the test plugs are located. "Alright." He then yells out with a commanding voice. "Begin the test!"

Dana and Thomas both quickly start typing on their computers to commence the test. At the same time, multiple pieces of information start to be displayed on the status screen that shows the pilots' synchronization. As the test starts, both pilots have their eyes closed as they calmly concentrate on synchronizing while breathing steadily. Due to the being accustomed to the synchronization test, neither one of them feel any real discomfort from the procedure.

Jerry watches the screen while having a bit of a serious expression. He then glances at back and forth between Dana and Thomas. "How does it look?"

Dana responds with a firm tone while looking at her computer. "Rivka's sync ratio is steadily reaching 80% with no signs of anything threatening her mental state." She then smirks while adding. "She's doing better at synchronizing with the Eva." She then looks at Nero's information and her eyes widen while being surprised at what she sees. She then looks at Jerry and says with amazement. "Nero's sync ratio is at 92% and it's still increasing!

Thomas narrows his eyes after hearing that while making an upset expression as he's still looking at his screen. He then thinks to himself while being irritated. "Great...! Now we definitely have to worry about him! If he betrays us, he'll be able to beat Rivka with no problem at all!" He grinds his teeth while clenching his left hand.

Jerry smiles to himself while looking at the status screen that shows both pilots in the test plug. "That's amazing!" He then yells into his microphone towards the pilots while sounding happy. "Keep up the good work, you two!" Both pilots respond by nodding at the same time while still concentrating, although Rivka had smirked due to Jerry's appraisal. Nero on the other hand maintained a calm expression without showing any enjoyment from the praise.

As the test continues, the main focus goes to Nero, who's concentrating in the darkness of the entry plug as he's thinking of his past. A past that he's never really enjoyed. He gets lost in his thoughts and he tones out any sounds that comes from the "real world" that he's currently living. He's now thinking of the first time he met Lorenz Keel in the United States when he was little and thinks of the condition he was in at that point of time.

*Flashback: July 22, 2005*

Nero's sitting on a bench while it's raining quite heavily as he's curled up into a ball with his legs are on the bench. His arms are currently resting on top his knees and he's also resting his head on his arms. There are people who pass by him without showing any concern for him and others that just stare at him with discriminating eyes. Nero's only four years old at this point of time and he seems to have not eaten anything in days while his clothes are torn and soaking wet from the rain. He's staring at the puddle of water that's in front of him while not acknowledging anyone's existence that are selfishly and unconcernedly passing by. He then notices an old man with a red umbrella and grey suit that had just sat to the left of him as this man looks at Nero. The old man is Keel and he still looks the same, but a bit younger. (Although, I can't really imagine what he would look like younger. *Laughs*)

Keel looks at Nero while having a serious expression and says with a stern tone. "What are you doing out here in the rain?"

Nero only turns his eyes to look at him while having an emotionless expression as he stays in the same position that he's in. "Why does it matter to you? You shouldn't be concerned about what I do. You don't even know me."

Keel keeps looking at Nero while still being serious. "But I do know who you are. You're Nero."

Nero's eyes widen for a moment while being a bit surprised due to this man, who he's never met before, knowing his name. He then lifts up his head while turning it to look directly at Keel as he makes an emotionless expression again and says calmly. "How do you know my name?"

Keel responds to Nero's question with a serious tone while intently looking at Nero. "I know everything there is to know about you."

Nero glares at Keel while making a serious expression. He then leans a bit towards him while still in the same position. "How?"

Keel says with an emotionless tone while not showing any hesitation. "Your father."

Nero gets a bit annoyed while still glaring at Keel and suspiciously asks. "Really?" He then looks in front of himself while leaning forward and makes a calm expression. "That's a surprise. I never thought he would ever talk about me to anyone."

Keel smirks while saying confidently. "Well, I'm not just anyone. I'm the Chairmen of the Committee that's in charge of the decisions that are made for every NERV facility. We even provide funding for them. Although, the main Branch of NERV that's in Japan can run a little bit wild for obvious reasons."

Nero keeps looking in front of him while it starts to rain even more, which it doesn't seem to bother him. "So, you're the guy who allowed my father to foolishly kill my mother."

Keel frowns while making a serious expression again. "That wasn't my decision. Your mother volunteered."

Nero closes his eyes while sighing and lowering his head. "Whatever. You two still let her die. You can't wash the blood off your hands that easily."

Keel smirks while being a bit discontent by Nero's words. "You have a point there." He then relinquished the discontent and says with appraisal. "I was told that you are extremely smart, and you just proved it."

Nero slowly opens his eyes while his eyes have become dulled. He then turns them to look at Keel again and stares at him while still having a calm expression. "What do you want?"

Keel suddenly laughs while tilting back his head. He then looks at Nero while smiling and says with a calm demeanor. "I knew you would quickly catch on. But keep this in mind, I can give you a place to live and you'll never go hungry again like you are obviously right now. I'll even give you a job that's the most important job in the world and you'll become famous. Everyone will know you for your greatness and you will forever be remembered in history.

Nero keeps staring at him while saying coldly. "Does it involve piloting the Eva?"

Keel's smile then disappears after hearing Nero's question as he gets serious. "You still remember it, huh?"

Nero smiles in a smart ass way while the light to his eyes return. "Being smart also brings a good memory. By the way, you know I would normally deny your offer due to multiple reasons that I don't feel like telling you." He turns his eyes to look in front of himself again while plainly stating. "And I don't care about being famous. Things like that are pointless if I'm not at least happy."

Keel smiles again while saying with a slightly arrogant voice. "But you won't deny my offer as long as I offer something extra that will make you happy, right?"

Nero's expression changes back to an emotionless one as tilts his head slightly towards the right. "In a way...yes." He turns his head to look at Keel again. "But nothing will ever make me happy. Let's just say, it's something that will make me feel content for a while."

Keel then gets up while still looking at Nero with a confident smile. "I'll make sure that you won't regret joining us."

Nero keeps looking at Keel and then looks away for a moment while standing up on the bench. He then looks at Keel once again with a smile. "We'll see."

Keel nods in agreement while saying confidently. "Yes. We shall definitely see."

*End of Flashback*

Nero opens his eyes suddenly due to hearing Jerry's voice suddenly come through the intercom. The test has just ended and they can go get dressed. As soon as possible, the pilots get out of the testing plugs and go to the locker rooms. While they get dress, Jerry and the others are having a quick conversation about the results of the tests at headquarters.

Isabel stands in front of everyone while looking directly at Dana and Thomas, who are standing next to each other, and says with a firm tone. "Status report."

Dana quickly responds while looking at the information that's in her hands and has a content tone. "Rivka's sync ratio has made it to 82% and Nero's sync ratio made it to 95%!" She then looks at Isabel with a smile.

William's currently standing next to Jerry and he nods in approval while looking at Dana. "That's quite impressive."

Jerry looks at William and laughs while being surprised at what William said. "Quite?! That's VERY impressive! No, that's EXTREMELY impressive!"

Isabel looks at Frank, who's to her right, and she smiles at him.

Frank smiles back at her with his eyes closed and nods.

Isabel continues to smile as she looks at everyone. "Good job, everyone! You're all dismissed!"

Thomas makes a disgusted expression while he walks away from everyone and thinks to himself. "Whatever."

Everyone watches him walk away. They then all go their separate ways while Jerry goes to meet Nero and Rivka at the car. They go home and the day ends like that. The next day goes by fairly quick since everyone considers Sunday's training as something not too important, although they aren't supposed to think like that. Rivka is found in her room as she talks to Betty on the phone.

Rivka's currently cleaning out her closet while holding the phone to her right ear. She's wearing her green pajamas and she has a calm expression while saying. "So, any more issues with Jonny?"

Betty responds with an optimistic tone. "Hell no! I don't ever want to be involved with that bastard again!"

Rivka laughs while she piles up some boxes that are in her closet and says with a happy tone. "That's good!" She then suddenly starts to groan and puts her left hand on her stomach while being irritated and utters out. "Damn it!"

Betty responds to Rivka's outburst with a sad tone. "Let me guess. It's that time of the month, isn't it?"

Rivka whines a bit while making a stressed expression. "Yeah..."

Betty giggles a little. "Then let's get your mind off it. How's Nero?" She then giggles again due to knowing that she's hitting a very sensitive subject.

Rivka blushes for a moment and yells out while having a nervous expression. "Why do you ask?!"

Betty laughs loudly while saying proudly. "Got you! I'm only asking because of his hand, but I bet you were thinking something else." She continues to laugh.

Rivka gets agitated by her comment and yells again. "Oh, shut up! And he's fine by the way!"

Betty keeps laughing while trying to stop. "That's good."

Rivka calms down while closing her eyes. She then opens her eyes while she turns around and walks to her bed. She sits down on her bed and sighs while looking at the floor. "Sometimes Betty, I have an urge to kill you." She then giggles lightly.

Betty laughs while proudly saying. "I bet you do!"

Rivka groans while looking towards the side as her hands are shaking and thinks to herself. "I really do hate when she does that to me, especially when I have all these feelings that are confusing the crap out of me."

They both continue their conversation while Nero's already asleep. Unfortunately, he's having a very vivid dream of him in a train. He's a little bit younger than he was in his flashback and he's sitting down while looking around. There's no one in the train at first, but then suddenly a boy, whose face isn't shown and he's the same age as this Nero, appears in front of Nero while sitting down as well. *Side Note: Both Nero and the boy are wearing clothing that resemble each other. The difference is that Nero's wearing a white shirt with buttons that currently is buttoned and black shorts while the boy wears a yellow shirt with buttons that is buttoned and wears blue shorts*

Nero looks at the boy with an annoyed expression and says coldly to him. "What are you doing here?"

The boy responds with concern. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Nero gets mad and yells at the boy while leaning forward a little. "Why the hell would I be happy to see you?! You're nothing but a pain in the ass!"

The boy says with a sad tone while trying not to cry. "Why do you hate me?"

Nero glares at the boy while tightly holding onto the bench he's sitting on with both hands. "Because you made my life a living hell! You and that bastard!" He looks at the seat next to him and sees his music player. He then grabs it with his right hand and suddenly throws it at the boy while still being mad.

The boy gets hit in the face with the music player and starts crying while holding his face with both hands. "Why did you do that?! That was mean!"

Nero get even more mad while gritting his teeth and then quickly gets up. He then marches up to the boy and grabs him by the collar with his right hand while yelling at him. "Stop crying! You have no right to ever cry! You don't know the pain I have to endure and I never cried even once! So for you to cry when you don't even understand real pain is just plain pathetic!"

The boy slowly removes his hands from his face while having them below his jaw and looks at Nero with tears still falling. "But...! I'm not strong like you! I wish I was as strong as you!" He then closes his eyes as he keeps on crying even more while placing his hands on the bench he's sitting on.

Nero makes a surprised expression. He then starts to calm down while making a somber expression and lets go of the boy's collar. He then turns around while clenching his fists as his head is lowered. "I'm sorry." He sighs and then turns back around to look at the boy with a sympathetic expression while slowly unclenching his fists. "I shouldn't have thrown it at you."

The boy slowly stops crying while looking up at Nero with surprise. He then starts to laugh while smiling and happily yells out. "It's alright, now! I forgive you!" He then closes his eyes as he continues to smile.

Nero sighs again while looking away from the boy and says with a sad tone. "You shouldn't forgive me."

The boy opens his eyes to look at him while being a bit confused and places his hands on his lap. "Why shouldn't I?"

Nero looks at the boy while having a sad expression. "Because I will cause you more pain in the future. Pain that's a lot worse than the pain you just felt. It's something that can't be avoided."

The boy then slowly gets up while giving out a short laugh. "I know. But I believe that you'll do the right thing in the end." He laughs again.

Nero's surprised by the boy's statement and looks away again while making a depressed expression. "How are you so sure? Even I don't believe that."

The boy puts his right hand on Nero's left shoulder and nods at him. "I just know. And please try to be happy."

Nero looks at the boy as he makes another surprised expression. He then slightly smiles at the boy. "I'll try."

The boy laughs once again. "Good! Also, you should tell her the way you feel about her."

Nero suddenly blushes while blinking in a nervous way as leans a bit back due to being caught off guard by that statement. He then leans forward towards the boy while saying nervously. "What do you mean?!"

The boy smiles while putting his hand down. "You know what I mean! And now it's time to wake up! So wake up, big brother!"

Nero suddenly wakes up while laying on his bed and has his right arm over his head with his left arm on his stomach. He then looks around his room while sitting up and placing his hands on his bed for leverage. He then thinks to himself while having a stunned expression. "That's the first time I finished that dream." He then looks down at his blanket that's covering his legs and suddenly gives out a big sigh while closing his eyes. "I can't believe that's how it ended. What are the chances that I can be happy?" He then lays back down while putting his arms behind his head as he looks at the ceiling. He then says to himself with a bit of curiosity showing on his face. "I wonder if I should tell her." He then smiles while saying with an optimistic tone. "Who knows? She could actually feel the same way." He then closes his eyes while still smiling. "I guess it's worth a shot."

Nero falls asleep right after that last statement and the night goes on. Meanwhile, there's an unidentified, large object in the sky and it looks like it's watching the United States with an intense stare. What threat does it hold towards the U.S. and will the 2nd Branch be able to fend it off?

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

I told you that this episode was going to be short, but I was at least able to make it longer than I originally had it. You all can thank the last part of this episode for that. The next episode will have action and there's going to be a heart warming scene that I think you all will enjoy. This episode at first was SO SHORT that I almost died or at least came close to killing myself for making it so short. As a result, I made it longer and now, I'm truly satisfy with this episode. It took me a long freaking time to get to this point and now, I'm proud to say that I'm going to make sure I finish my story! Oh and to my friend Kevin, thank you for your help and I'll most likely thank you again when I finish my story.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	10. Episode 10

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

I'm finally writing this episode and I'm freaking excited! It felt like forever for me to get to this point and now, I'm very determined to see this through. Here's a quick summary of my last episode. Nero went through a trip down memory lane and had a dream that helped him decide on confronting a certain girl about something. Let's see how this will all turn out because I'm willing to go the distance with this episode. I don't know how long this episode will be, but I will do my best to make it a better length than the last one and I'll definitely make it interesting. Please, enjoy the episode.

Episode 10: The 4th Angel and Human Hearts

It's currently the same night that Nero had his dream and there seems to be a large, unidentified object in the sky. It's shaped like a phoenix and it's pitch black while it's skin is just like all the other angels as it shines due to the moon's light. It doesn't have claws or feet, but its wings do have sharp edges that are like blades. It's currently staring down at Carson City as it suddenly lets out a loud screech and quickly flies down towards Carson City in high-speed. It then crashes right into the left side of the city while the crash causes a giant shockwave, which destroys multiple buildings and within an instants the city's emergency alarm goes off. This wakes up the pilots and everyone in the city.

Nero quickly gets up and looks around his room in a panic. He then gets up and runs out of his room. He then runs into Rivka in the living room due to neither one of them seeing the other and they both fall to the floor. Nero's stun for a moment while rubbing the right side of his forehead as if he had hurt it. He then looks up at Rivka with an apologetic expression. "Sorry about that."

Rivka rubs her butt due to the pain she feels from falling down and looks at Nero while smiling. "It's alright." She then suddenly stops smiling due to remembering the reason she went to the living room and says to him. "Did you feel that earthquake?!"

Nero gets up off the floor and extends his right hand to Rivka. "I don't think that was an earthquake. It seemed a bit different from an ordinary earthquake."

Rivka nods in agreement while grabbing onto Nero's hand. She then looks around for a moment while having a curious expression and turns her attention to Nero. "Then what do you think it is?"

Nero raises his left eyebrow while still looking at Rivka and makes a skeptical expression. "What do you think?"

Rivka makes a surprised expression while yelling out with worry. "It couldn't be another angel?! We just beat one last week!"

Nero shrugs and then notices Jerry, who's right behind Rivka and says to him. "Am I right?" Jerry then nods in response while having a serious expression.

Rivka turns around with concern and sees Jerry's serious expression. She then gets upset while saying to Jerry. "You can't be serious?! We have school in the morning! I don't need this right now!"

Nero laughs while standing behind Rivka. He then walks up next to her and puts his left hand on her right shoulder while looking at her with a smile. "There's nothing to be done about it. It comes with the job, so relax."

Rivka looks at Nero with a surprised expression and then notices that his hand is on her shoulder. This causes her to blush while looking away and then says in a shy way. "A-Alright."

Jerry's amazed at what he sees, but quickly gets over it by shaking his head a little. He then says with a serious tone while looking at the two of them. "Let's go, you guys." Both Nero and Rivka then look at him and nod in agreement while showing determination on their faces.

All three of them quickly head out to the car and they drive off to the 2nd Branch. As they get there, they notice the angel that's right by the 2nd Branch as it's fighting with the U.S. military, which are currently getting owned by the angel. *Pardon the slang that's used in that sentence haha* Jerry and the pilots enter the 2nd Branch while rushing to HQ, where everyone else is frantically working.

Jerry sees William, who's standing between Dana and Thomas. Jerry then rushes to him while gasping for air. "What's going on?!"

William looks at Jerry with a disappointed expression. "It sure took you a long time to get here!"

Jerry gets irritated after catching his breath and yells out. "Shut it! If you haven't noticed, there's a freaking angel outside!" He says that last part while pointing up towards the right, signifying outside of the 2nd Branch.

William nods while making a serious expression and calms himself. "I know." He then looks at the pilots, who are standing next to Jerry. "You two need to get ready, immediately."

Both Nero and Rivka nod in response and quickly exit out of HQ while running.

Jerry watches them leave and then turns his attention to Dana with concern. "Where the hell did that angel come from anyway?!"

Dana looks at him from her post while having a nervous expression. "It seems that it was up in the sky and it waited to attack us when we were vulnerable."

Thomas looks at them from his post while having an irritated expression. "What's with these angels?! They keep attacking us every damn week!"

Jerry looks at Thomas while having a nervous smile and shrugs. "It seems like they like to be an inconvenience to us. Or maybe they just like us." He chuckles a little.

Thomas gets very irritated and yells out in annoyance. "That's not funny!"

Jerry makes a slightly depressed expression while looking away from Thomas. "Jeez, it was just a joke."

Isabel says with a commanding tone while she's in her office. She's currently sitting in her chair with Frank standing to her right. "Enough fooling around! We need to get everything ready!"

All members of HQ look at her while being a bit surprised due to her sudden command. They then all nod in agreement while getting serious and quickly get ready for combat. In the mean time, Nero and Rivka are rushing towards the changing rooms. Nero stops Rivka in front of the changing room and they then look at each other.

Rivka makes a confused expression towards Nero while tilting her head to the right as she puts her right hand on her hip. "What is it, Nero?"

Nero gulps and looks away while making a nervous expression. "There's something I have to tell you."

Rivka eyes widen a little while straightening her head to focus on Nero. "What do you want to tell me?"

Nero looks at her while still being a bit nervous and smiles at her. "Nevermind. I'll tell you later." He then quickly rushes pass her and goes into the boy's changing room without giving Rivka a chance to respond.

Rivka turns around and barely sees him go into the changing room while having a confused expression again. She then thinks to herself while scratching her left cheek with her left hand. "I wonder what he wants to tell me." She then brushes off her curiosity while putting her left hand down and casually enters the girl's changing room.

Both pilots get ready and once they're done, they rush to their Evas. Back in HQ, everyone's ready for combat and they are waiting patiently for the Evas to be launched. Soon enough, the Evas are ready to launch with the pilots inside and are now waiting for the signal.

Dana looks at Jerry while smiling and says with a delighted tone. "Both Evas are ready!"

Jerry looks at her while smiling back at her. "Good!" He then looks up at the main screen and yells out with a commanding tone. "Launch Eva!"

The Evas are launched and in no time, both of them reach the surface. Both Rivka and Nero see the angel after shaking off the force of the Gs they experience from the launch. At the moment they see the angel, they see it finishing off the last aircraft of the military with its sharp wings as both Evas are currently behind the angel. They both get ready to fight it while both being focused.

Rivka's currently looking at the screen that shows the angel. She then looks at the right side screen that shows Nero and thinks to herself with confidence. "This time we'll be fighting together, Nero! This angel doesn't stand a chance!" She then smiles and looks back at the angel.

Nero gives out a cold stare at the angel for a moment. He then looks down while making a calm expression and thinks to himself. "This time...I have someone by my side." He then gives a quick glance at the left side screen that shows Rivka while blushing slightly and whispers to himself. "It actually feels kind of nice." He smiles while looking back down for a moment and then looks back at the angel while making a serious expression.

Jerry's voice suddenly comes from the intercom and he says with a calm tone. "Alright. You two know what to do. Do anything that you have to so that you can bring that angel down. Understand?"

Nero and Rivka both nod in agreement while still looking at the angel.

4th Angel *Phoenixel* turns to look at both Evas as it lays its wings down on the ground. It then opens its mouth and energy starts to gather into its mouth.

Jerry watches what's happening and starts to panic while looking at the others for an answer. "What's going on?!"

Thomas frantically types on his computer. He then looks at Jerry with a stressed expression while yelling out. "It looks like it's gathering energy into its mouth!"

William looks at Jerry with a serious expression and says with a firm tone. "Jerry!"

Jerry looks at him with concern. "You don't think it's...?!"

William nods and then says with urgency. "It's a laser!"

Jerry quickly turns his attention back at the main screen and yells into the microphone while having a worried expression. "Rivka! Nero! Move out of the way!" In response to Jerry's cry, both Nero and Rivka make a concerned expression while doing a quick double-take due to hearing what Jerry said. At the same time, Phoenixel gathers all of the necessary energy it needs and quickly lets it out. It comes out as a giant, white blast and heads straight towards both Evas.

Rivka gasps due to seeing the blast head towards her. She's unable to respond to the attack due to being completely frozen with fear.

Nero looks at Rivka's image on the screen and sees that she's frozen. He then desperately yells out to her while leaning a bit towards that screen. "Snap out of it!" Rivka then regains her composure due to Nero's outburst and makes her Eva move dodge right at the last moment. At the same time, Nero makes his Eva jump out of the path of the blast by going the opposite direction from where Unit 05 went. The blast then hits the right side of the 2nd Branch and causes it some extensive damage. The blast then slowly dissipates and Phoenixel shuts its mouth while it looks around. Due to the impact of the blast hitting the 2nd Branch, all of its personnel are shook up a bit. They all then try to regain their composure while Jerry takes action by making his image appear on the pilots' side screen. He's currently making a moderately upset expression while yelling out. "Rivka! What was that?! Why did you freeze up like that?!"

Rivka looks at him with an apologetic expression while leaning forward a little. "I'm sorry! I was caught off guard by that blast!"

Nero looks at Rivka while smiling. "Don't worry about it, Rivka. Just don't hesitate the next time, alright?"

Rivka looks at Nero and smiles. She then nods at him with confidence. "Alright! I won't hesitate again! I promise!"

Nero keeps smiling for a little bit longer and then turns his attention back to Phoenixel while getting serious.

Rivka blushes as she watches Nero and thinks to herself. "That's how Nero looks like when he's serious. It's the same expression that he made when he punched Horace in the face." She then pauses for a moment and looks to the opposite side. She then keeps thinking while still blushing a little. "Could it be that he cares about me so much that he gets that serious when my life is in danger?" She then turns her attention back to Phoenixel as she stops blushing while saying to herself. "Then I should be that serious for him." She smiles for a moment and then gets serious.

Thomas watches on from his seat as he has an irritated expression. He then sighs while thinking to himself. "Enough of this crap. They need to get their act together and kill that monster."

Jerry watches the main screen for a quick moment and then looks at William with curiosity. "What do you think?"

William looks back at him while having a serious expression. "That blast was powerful. But there could be a chance that the angel is now vulnerable to attacks."

Jerry nods while being very serious and turns his attention back to the screen while yelling out to the pilots. "Let's see! Hey, guys! Attack it, now!"

Nero and Rivka both respond to Jerry's command by nodding and quickly make their Evas run towards Phoenixel. In response, Phoenixel covers itself with its wings and braces itself for both of the Evas' attack.

Rivka takes the lead and starts shooting at Phoenixel while yelling out confidently. "Here you go! Have some of my bullets!"

Nero laughs while Unit 04 is running right behind Unit 05. "That was a pretty lame taunt!"

Rivka blushes a little while making a nervous expression. She then looks at Nero's image that's on the side screen and yells out to him. "Oh, shut up! No one asked you!"

Nero keeps laughing while saying nonchalantly. "Sorry."

Thomas gets angry from hearing Nero and Rivka's chatter. He then gets up from his seat while yelling out to Jerry. "Tell them to stop fooling around!"

Jerry looks at Thomas with an irritated expression. "Just sit down and shut up!"

Thomas's shocked by Jerry's sudden outburst towards him. He then sits back in his seat while making an upset expression due to him being yelled at and turns his attention back to his computer.

Jerry sighs while trying to calm down. He then looks up at the main screen with a serious expression.

William looks at Jerry and softly laughs to himself. He then looks up at the screen while smiling.

Dana watches William and thinks to herself while blushing slightly. "He looks handsome when he's smiling." She then looks back at her computer while still blushing.

Rivka continues to maneuver her Eva around the angel while firing at it. In the meantime, Nero stops his Eva in front of Phoenixel as he stares at it with curiosity. This is due to seeing that Phoenixel is covering itself while being shot at by Unit 05, but isn't moving at all. Nero then thinks to himself while still staring at Phoenixel and makes a concerned expression. "That's weird. Why is it just taking Rivka's attacks? Did it really plan on beating us with that one shot?"

Jerry yells out at Nero while being a bit concerned. "Nero! What's wrong?! Why aren't you attacking it?!"

Thomas looks up at the screen while thinking to himself as he makes a worried expression. "Has the time come for him to betray us?!"

Rivka stops her Eva right behind Phoenixel and she looks at Nero's image on the side screen with concern. "Are you alright, Nero?!"

Nero keeps staring at Phoenixel for a moment. He then looks at both Jerry and Rivka's screen. "Something doesn't seem right."

William's image suddenly appears right next to Jerry's image and he says in a calm voice. "It's like I said, the angel must have used a lot of its strength to do that."

Nero responds to William while looking at all three of them as he has a stressed expression. "But it doesn't make sense! The angels are smarter than that! Why would it use up so much energy without a back up plan?!"

Thomas gets up and walks to Jerry while being very upset. He then gets into the image with Jerry and yells at Nero. "Stop talking nonsense! These angels are a bunch of morons! So stop whining and fight!"

Jerry looks at Thomas and yells at him while being irritated. "What did I tell you?!" He then points at Thomas' seat while yelling out. "Sit down and shut up!"

Thomas looks at Jerry with an irritated expression. He then turns around and sits back in his seat while sulking.

After seeing Thomas sit down, Jerry turns his attention back to the screen while putting his arm down. He then sees that Phoenixel is starting to uncover itself and this causes Jerry to yell out with urgency while pointing at the main screen with his right hand. "Look!"

Both Nero and Rivka look at Phoenixel in response of hearing Jerry. They watch it carefully while having determination show on their faces. They then see Phoenixel swings its wings wide open and suddenly launches itself into the air with amazing speed.

Rivka starts firing at it while it ascends to the sky and yells out. "It looks like it's finally able to move!" As she continues to fire, Phoenixel turns and looks directly at Eva Unit 05 while its mouth is glowing.

Nero realizes that Phoenixel's mouth is glowing and yells out to Rivka in desperation. "Rivka, watch out!"

Rivka's a bit startled and quickly looks at Nero for a moment. She then looks back up at Phoenixel while making a shocked expression.

Phoenixel keeps looking at her Eva and fires out another blast that heads towards Unit 05 with just as amazing speed as the angel's speed when flying.

Rivka gasps while watching the blast come at her and yells out in panic. "Oh my God!"

Nero grits his teeth as he makes his Eva dash towards Unit 05. He then yells out with desperation showing on his face. "Rivka!"

Jerry runs towards the railing that keeps him from falling over to the lower level of headquarters. He quickly places his hands on it to lean forward and yells out in panic at the main screen. "Rivka!"

After Jerry's cry, Rivka's about to get hit by the blast and she closes her eyes while bracing herself. Nero then makes Unit 04 jump in front of Unit 05 and at that same time, he makes his Eva throw its lance at Phoenixel right before the blast hits Unit 04 in the chest while being in mid-air. As a result, Nero screams out from intense pain while having his eyes closed and his head tilted back.

Rivka suddenly opens her eyes and sees Unit 04 taking the blast full on while hearing Nero screaming. She then passionately screams out from being worried about Nero as tears form under her eyes. "Nero!"

Everyone at headquarters is horrified at what their seeing and some can't even watch as the blast continues to wedge its way through Unit 04's chest. Jerry is one of the people who can watch, but he feels helpless due to not being able to do anything while hearing Nero screaming. He then thinks to himself while having a sad expression. "Nero..."

Thomas smiles in an evil way while watching and thinks to himself. "Serves him right."

Dana covers her face while she hears Nero screaming and lowers her. "Oh, Lord!"

William watches the screen while being concerned as Isabel sadden by hearing Nero's scream. She then puts her hands together and starts to prey while Frank watches with concern as well. Luckily, while everyone was reacting to Nero's pain, Phoenixel's core was pierced by Unit 04's Lance of Longinus and it's completely obliterated within an instant. This results in the blast gradually stopping while Nero stops screaming and passes out shortly afterwards. Unit 04 then falls down to the ground while the lance lands in front of it at a small distance away.

Rivka starts crying while looking at Unit 04 that's currently lying in front of her and yells out. "Nero!" She then forces her entry plug to eject so that she can open it and gets out of it.

Jerry tries to say something to stop her but decides to let it go. He then yells out with a commanding tone while looking towards the others in headquarters. "I need the medical team to retrieve both pilots immediately! Go!"

William looks at Jerry and tries to reassure him with a confident expression. "I'll go get them!"

Jerry looks at him and smiles while nodding. "Thank you, Will."

William smiles while nodding and then rushes out of HQ.

Rivka runs up to Nero's Eva and climbs it while the Eva burns her due to the heat of the blast. She then reaches the back of the head of Unit 04 and yells out to the entry plug. "Nero! Nero, can you hear me?!"

Nero's passed out in the entry plug while not showing any movement. He then hears a voice that isn't Rivka's but the voice of the boy from his dream.

The boy says with a concerned tone. "Nero...Wake up. She's out there calling you. You need to see her and tell her how you feel. This is for you to finally be happy."

Nero slowly opens his eyes and says to himself in a tired way. "To finally...be...happy..." He then opens his eyes completely and smiles.

Rivka keeps yelling out to Nero while she starts to cry. "Please, Nero! Answer me!" She then closes her eyes and turns her head to the left while having a distraught expression. "I don't want to lose you!" Suddenly, Unit 04's entry plug ejects and it opens up as if to respond to Rivka's cry. Rivka then opens her eyes and quickly looks at the entry plug while having a surprised expression.

Nero slowly comes out of the entry plug while being exhausted and looks at Rivka with a faint smile. "What's with all the yelling?"

Rivka smiles back at him while tears continue to fall. She then wipes them off with both hands while still smiling and shakes her head in disbelief with her eyes closed. "You, idiot."

Nero chuckles and then walks up to her. "Were you worried about me?"

Rivka nods while looking at Nero again. "Of course, I was worried."

Nero chuckles again and tilts his head to the right while staring at her. "You know you broke your promise, right?"

Rivka nods shamefully while looking away from him. "I know and I'm sorry. If I had kept my promise, this wouldn't have happened to you." She then looks at him with an apologetic expression.

Nero keeps smiling and says with a sincere voice. "It's fine. I would gladly do it anytime."

Rivka looks away again while slightly blushing and smiling.

Nero gets confused for a moment while straightening his head. "Did I say something that made you uncomfortable again?"

Rivka looks at him and shakes her head as she closes her eyes. She then stops while she opens her eyes to look at him. "Not at all. I just felt special." She continues to smile again.

Nero smiles back at her. "Good." He then starts to have a hard time keeping his eyes open while slowly losing his smile. "Hey, can you do me a favor?"

Rivka makes a concerned expression. "What is it?"

Nero smiles at her while closing his eyes. "Can you make sure, I don't hit the floor when I fall down?"

Rivka gets confused and tilts her head to the left. "What?" Nero then suddenly falls towards her. She's startled at first when she sees him falling, but then quickly catches him and holds him up while he rest his head on her chest. She then thinks to herself while looking down at him. "He must be exhausted if he couldn't stay conscious." She then blushes as she realizes that his head is on her chest, but she ignores it and keeps holding him while placing her chin on his head. She then thinks to herself again as she looks at Unit 04. "Oddly enough, I should feel embarrassed that his head is between my breasts, but I don't actually mind at the moment." She closes her eyes while still thinking. "I wonder if it's because of my feelings for him." She sighs while slightly opening her eyes and makes a sad expression. "I just wish I could tell him."

That special moment continues until William and the medical crew arrive. Nero's then taken to the emergency room while Rivka is also checked on for any mental trauma. There was no celebration this time by the 2nd Branch due to Nero having been severely injured. Jerry quickly rushes to check on both pilots in the clinic room. Nero's currently resting in the hospital while Rivka and Jerry have a heartfelt conversation in the hallway.

Rivka's sitting on a bench that's in the hallway and she has a sad expression on her face while she's looking at the floor. She has her legs crossed and her hands are placed next to her on the bench while being clenched.

Jerry paces back and forth while having his hands behind his back. He then stops and faces Rivka while saying to her in a sympathetic tone. "Rivka. It's not your fault that Nero's injured."

Rivka looks up at Jerry while tears start to form as she makes a distraught expression. "But it IS my fault!" She then puts the palm of her right hand on her chest while she keeps looking at him. "If I hadn't frozen up again, he wouldn't have gotten hurt! He wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed!" She closes her eyes while putting her head down and starts to cry.

Jerry gets closer to Rivka and crouches down while placing his hands on her shoulders. "Rivka. Look at me."

Rivka opens her eyes and hesitantly looks at Jerry while tears continue to go down her face.

Jerry gives her a sympathetic smile while looking directly into Rivka's eyes. "Listen. Nero doesn't regret protecting you. You heard him say it before, and I bet he doesn't blame you for anything. He'll be happy just to see that you're safe and that you're smiling." He then chuckles a little.

Rivka tries to calm down while wiping away her tears. "You're right, Jerry." She then smiles back at Jerry.

Jerry continues to smile while nodding. "At a girl. Now, if it will help, I'll let you stay here until Nero can be don't even need to worry about school."

Rivka's surprised by Jerry's offer and then smiles again while yelling out joyfully. "Really?!"

Jerry nods. "Yeah. Anyway, since we don't know when Nero will be waking up, we need someone to be here. That way he won't wake up to an empty room, right?" He then laughs softly.

Rivka giggles and nods while cheerfully saying. "Right!"

With that settled, for the following few days, Rivka didn't have to go to school. She spent everyday in the room that Nero had to rest in while she patiently waited for him to wake up. It was now Thursday, and Nero hadn't woken up yet. Rivka continued to wait until she fell asleep on the chair that she was sitting in that's located next to the exit's door. While she slept, Nero had woken up and found himself in a hospital bed. *Side Note: Just so that you guys know, Rivka's wearing a dark green T-Shirt that conveniently makes her tits look a bit bigger and blue denim shorts.*

Nero looks at the bed for a moment as he slowly sits up. He then yawns while tilting his head back and closing his eyes for a brief moment. When he finishes yawning, he opens his eyes and sees the ceiling. As he stares at the ceiling, he thinks to himself while getting a bit annoyed. "Great...Another different ceiling. I'm seriously getting tired of that." He then looks down in front of himself and starts to look around with curiosity. He then notices Rivka and he's a bit surprised while thinking to himself again. "Rivka's here! I wonder how long she's been here?" He then realizes something and keeps thinking while being a bit concern. "Or what day is it?" He looks around again with a bit of urgency while thinking. "How long have I ve been out?!" He then sees a calendar that s on the wall to his left, which displays that the day is Thursday. This causes him to make a surprised expression while pulling his head back and saying in a loud tone. "Whoa! I was out for that long! That angel must have done a number on me!" He then quickly covers his mouth with both hands after realizing that he just yelled out and looks at Rivka.

Rivka continues to sleep while showing no signs that she heard Nero's outburst. She then turns her head from right to left while having it placed on the wall that's behind her. This is so that she's more comfortable as she keeps sleeping.

After seeing that, Nero puts his hands down while giving out a sigh of relief and whispers to himself. "Thank, goodness. I didn't wake her." He then takes off the blanket while looking at it and notices that he's wearing a hospital gown. Seeing this irritates him while he says to himself. "Damn...I hate gowns " After saying that, he looks around and finds that his clothes are on the other side of the bed while being neatly folded. He then gets off the bed and takes off the gown while noticing that he has a small circular scar on his chest. He then thinks to himself with curiosity showing on his face as he touches it with his right hand. "Where did that come from?" He then suddenly remembers the blast from the angel and realizes that he got the scar from that while still thinking. "Now I remember." He then shrugs while putting his hand down. "Oh well." He then reaches for his clothes and quickly starts to put them on. The clothes his putting on are a black/white long-sleeved shirt that has a cross on both sleeves, and a black/white jeans that have multiple small crosses on it. When finished, he turns and looks at Rivka for a moment with a calm expression. He then walks up to her while putting his hands in his pockets and once he reaches her, he leans forward to have his face extremely close to her face.

Rivka hears Nero's breathing and she opens her eyes. She's then surprised to see Nero up and immediately blushes when she realizes how close he is to her while saying in a nervous tone. "Ummm...Nero ?"

Nero smiles while still having his face close to Rivka's face and says with an innocent voice. "What?"

Rivka keeps blushing and gets even more nervous. "Why are you so close to me?"

Nero tilts his head to the left while still smiling. "Does it bother you?"

Rivka slowly shakes her head in response. "No. It just makes me nervous."

Nero straightens his head while pulling back and looks at her with a curious expression. "Why do you feel nervous?"

Rivka looks away while still blushing and gets a bit irritated as she yells out. "I just am!"

Nero laughs for a little bit. He then pulls out his right hand out of his pocket and extends it to her. "Alright."

Rivka looks at his hand for a moment while being a bit hesitant. She then grabs his hand with her left and looks at him while smiling as she tries to stop blushing. Nero then lifts her up while still smiling as he's still holding her hand. Rivka then keeps smiling while looking down and sees that Nero's still holding her hand. This causes her to blush again while looking up at Nero. "How long are you going to hold my hand?"

Nero looks down at their hands with a curious expression. He then looks up at her with a smile. "As long as you let me."

Rivka bites her bottom lip for a brief moment and then looks to the right side. "Really?" She pauses for a moment as she remembers something and then looks back at him with a concerned expression. "Ummm...now that I think about it. What was it that you were going to tell me before we fought the angel?"

Nero suddenly turns a bit red and quickly turns away while letting go of her hand. He then hesitates for a moment as he looks at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Well..." Rivka just stares at him with a smile while anxiously waiting for his response. Nero then starts to breathe steadily in and out while turning to face her. "Well, Rivka. I wanted to tell you how I feel about you?"

Rivka makes a surprised expression after hearing what Nero just said while thinking to herself. "How...he...feels...about me?!" She then starts to breathe heavily while she stares at him and thinks to herself again. "How does he feel about me?!"

Nero gulps and gets closer to Rivka while he smiles. "I..."

Rivka gets more anxious as she starts to blush again and gets a bit nervous as she thinks to herself. "What...?! What is it?!"

Nero gets a lot more closer to her. He's now so close to her that Rivka's breasts touch his chest. "I...well...ummm..."

Rivka blushes a bit more due to their contact as her heart begins to race. She also gets even more anxious and nervous as she thinks. "Please say it already!"

Nero smiles while blushing and places his forehead against Rivka's forehead while looking into her eyes This causes Rivka eyes to widen from surprise as she's stun for a moment. She then snaps out of it and just looks right back into his eyes. Nero keeps smiling as he slowly says. "I...love...you..."

Rivka's completely shocked as she starts to feel light-headed after hearing what Nero said. Nero then acts on impulse without warning as he closes his eyes and kisses her on the lips. As a result, Rivka blushes a lot more while being caught off guard by Nero's sudden kiss and can't even move. She then shouts out in her mind. "He's kissing me!"

Nero stops kissing her after a little as he blushes a bit more. His eyes then widen after realizing what he just did while backing away and starts to panic a bit. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that!" He then puts his hands on his head and closes his eyes while lowering his head. "Damn it! I'm such an idiot!"

Rivka makes a concerned expression and gets close to Nero while saying to him in a reassuring tone. "You're not an idiot."

Nero puts his hands down and faces her while still blushing a little. "But...I just told you that I love you and I kissed you without giving you a chance to tell me if you feel the same way. Now, if you don't feel the same way then that means I just made a complete idiot out of myself."

Rivka responds back to his concern while still having a reassuring tone. "It's alright, Nero."

Nero extends out his arms in a gesture while looking at her as he makes a stressed out expression. "How is it alright?!"

Rivka yells out in response with sincerity showing on her face. "Because I love you too!" She then realizes what she said and blushes while her eyes widen. She then looks away from Nero in a bit of a panic.

Nero puts his arms down while he looks at her with a surprised expression. "You do?"

Rivka hesitantly looks at him and nods while still blushing and smiles slightly.

Nero smiles out of being happy and scratches the back of his head with his right hand.

Rivka keeps smiling while she stops blushing. She then tilts her head to the left while moving some of her hair behind her left ear. "And I really liked it when you kissed me."

Nero keeps blushing while he puts his right hand down as he keeps smiling. "Really?"

Rivka nods with confidence. "Yeah, and now, it's my turn." Nero's eyes widen while being a bit surprised as he's about to say something. Rivka then interrupts him by kissing him on the lips while she held her hands behind her back and closed her eyes while blushing again. Nero blinks in a surprised way due to Rivka's sudden action. He then smiles and kisses her back while placing his hands on her cheeks and closing his eyes. Due to Nero kissing her back, Rivka giggles while enjoying her kiss with Nero. She then thinks to herself while she opens her eyes to look at him and sees that he's smiling. "I'm so happy. I wish this moment would never end."

Nero opens his eyes and looks at her eyes while still kissing her and thinks to himself. "I'll protect you, Rivka. I don't ever want to lose this feeling."

They continue to make out for a while. They then stop and just enjoy each others company, so that they don't take things too far. Nero's released the next day and they make it obvious to Jerry that they are now a couple since they sat together in the back seat while holding hands and resting their heads on each other. Once they get home, Jerry confronts them about this sudden relationship in the kitchen and is about to set some ground rules as it being the job of the guardian to do so.

Jerry says in a serious tone to show how important this talk is while having his arms crossed. "First off, no sex!"

Rivka gets embarrassed pulling back a little due to Jerry's statement. She then yells out with a defensive tone while taking a step towards Jerry. "We wouldn't do that!"

Nero tries not to laugh while looking away without saying a word as he's smiling.

Jerry laughs while tilting his head back. He then looks at the two pilots with a smile while joyfully saying. "I know! I'm just teasing!"

Rivka blushes and gets very irritated. "Jerry! You're such a jerk!"

Nero starts to laugh while closing his eyes. "This is freaking hilarious!" He then opens his eyes and smiles at Rivka.

Rivka looks at him while having a surprised expression, but then calms down while smiling back at him.

Jerry keeps laughing and then walks towards his room while happily yelling out as he waves at them with his right hand. "Don't worry! I trust both of you! So, I don't have to set any rules! I just did that to mess with you!" He continues to laugh while putting his hand down. He then enters his room and shuts the door behind him.

Rivka makes an irritated expression while having watched Jerry go to his room. She then gets over it and looks at Nero with a smile. "We have an awesome guardian, right?!"

Nero nods in agreement and then gets closer to Rivka while kissing her on the lips.

Rivka kisses him back. She then hugs him and whispers in his left ear. "I love you."

Nero hold her while he whispers back. "I love you too."

They let go of each other and say goodnight. Rivka quickly goes to her room and goes to sleep while thinking of Nero as she's happy that she finally has him. At the same time, Nero's in his room and he's getting ready to go to bed while being in a very good mood.

Nero's now laying on his bed while putting on his music player and stares at the ceiling while putting his arms above his head. He then thinks to himself while having a spaced out expression. "She's the first girl who I've ever kissed." He pauses for a moment to take a deep breath. "She's also the first girl I actually have a relationship with. For once in my life, I'm happy to be alive." He smiles to himself while closing his eyes and plays his music player that's in his right hand. He then says to himself while opening his eyes. "I just wish that things could stay this way forever." He closes his eyes again and falls asleep.

Meanwhile, There's a meeting being held between the members of the Committee and they seem to be disputing about something that involves the 2nd Branch.

The first associate says with a serious tone while looking at Keel. "When are we going to initiate the plan?"

Chairmen Keel responds with a strong tone while leaning forward on the table. "Soon. Be patient."

The third associate nods in agreement while looking at the first associate. "He's right. Everything will fall into place. Soon we'll have complete control of Unit 04 and we'll be able to use it for our plan."

The second associate sighs while looking away and then says with an irritated tone. "Let's just hope that Nero doesn't blow it."

Chairmen Keel gets angry due to the second associates comment and hits the table with his right fist while looking at his second associate. "Don't worry about it! Nero has his priorities in order! He won't let us down!"

The fourth associate gives out a small cough and nods while looking at Keel. "Well for our sake, I hope you're right."

Chairmen Keel responds in a dominant tone. "I am right! If you doubt me then leave!" All associates then stay quite for a moment while looking at him. They then nod in agreement to what Keel said. After seeing that, Keel smiles while nodding in approval. "Good."

They continue to have their conversation and the day ends with an unsettling feeling. This seems to be the beginning of the end for the 2nd Branch or maybe it isn't. This still has not been determined yet, but whatever happens, Nero and Rivka will have to take the full brunt of it. Hopefully, they can be successful in protecting everyone at Carson City without it costing them their lives.

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

I'm amazing! Just kidding. I'm just really happy that I finished this episode on the same day that I rewrote Episode 9. Now, I'm bent on continuing this series but it'll have to wait until another day because I'm tired. I bet a lot of you are happy that I finally made Rivka and Nero get together. Also, some of the perverts must have like the closeness that Nero and Rivka were having. *Laughs* Anyway, I really liked writing this episode and I had fun with the angel fight. I had to do something to set up the romantic moment for Nero and Rivka, and it worked out perfectly by my opinion. Well, I hope you all enjoyed this episode and I hope you look forward to my next episode.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	11. Episode 11

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

It's time to continue on with my story. I wrote Episode 10 a while back and it just got me back into wanting to write more episodes. Although I have a good idea of what this episode is about, I still have to work on it. Once again, I will be improvising and I will be getting to the ending of my "Series" (Yes, I like to call it my series now, instead of story *Laughs*) in a few episodes from now. I will also have a surprise at the end of the series, which will depend on how you liked my series. This episode will probably be as short as episode 9, maybe a little bit longer, but I will do my best to entertain you like always and I will make up for the shortness of these two episodes with my final two episodes. I'm getting closer and closer to my goal. I'm looking forward to realizing that goal. So, enjoy the episode as much as you can because I always want to make my readers happy.

Episode 11: All That's Needed Is Someone To Say "I Love You"

The weekend passes by quickly due to there being no synchronization test since Nero had just gotten out of the hospital. Both pilots spent their weekend enjoying each other's company. During the same time, Jerry continued to make his jokes about the two, which kept on getting on Rivka's nerves. On Monday morning, both pilots go to school and once they get to their classroom, they see Betty. Nero's standing on Rivka's left side while holding her hand.

Betty turns and looks at both of them. She then smiles and rushes towards them while shouting out in a joyful tone. "Rivka! Nero!"

Both Rivka and Nero smile at her while still holding each other's hands.

Betty stands in front of them while still smiling. "I've missed you guys!" She then looks down and sees that they're holding hands. She then gasps while putting her right hand over her mouth for a moment. She then puts her hand down and leans towards them. "Are you two together?!"

Rivka and Nero look at each other while blushing and smile. They then look back at Betty and nod at the same time.

Betty screams out of happiness and all the other students look at her for a moment with curiosity. She then tries to calm down while saying with an excited tone. "How long have you two been together?!"

Rivka keeps blushing while she looks at Nero for a moment. She then looks back at Betty with a smile. "For a few days."

Betty keeps smiling and looks at Nero with curiosity. "So, is Rivka the one that you wanted?"

Nero smiles while nodding at Betty as he's still blushing. He then looks at Rivka and happily answers. "Yes."

Rivka looks back at him while blushing even more. She then kisses him on the lips.

Nero kisses her back while placing his left hand on her cheek as he's still holding her hand.

Betty's filled with happiness and puts her hands together in a gesture while having them near her chest. "Awe! That's so beautiful!"

Both Rivka and Nero stop kissing and smile at each other.

Betty smiles again and says with a smart-ass tone. "Alright, love birds. Stop making a scene in class."

Rivka blushes a bit more while having a shocked expression. She then looks at Betty. "What do you mean by that?"

Betty points towards the other students that are looking at them and she keeps smiling. "Did you think I was the only one watching?" She then giggles.

Rivka looks at everyone that's looking at them and turns bright red. She then gets very irritated and yells out while clenching her hands into fists. "What are you looking at?!" Due to her outburst, the other students quickly look away while trying not to laugh.

Rivka continues to be irritated while mumbling to herself. "Freaking annoying bastards. They don't know how to mind their own business."

Nero moves his head towards Rivka and whispers into her ear. "Remember. Control yourself." He then smiles.

Rivka looks at him with a surprised expression while still blushing. She then says in a defensive tone. "I know that! I just can't help it!"

Nero walks up in front of her while still holding her hand. "It seems like I'll have to help you out with that."

Rivka keeps looking at him and then nervously nods while still blushing a little.

Nero kisses her on the cheek and smiles at her again. "Good."

Betty keeps smiling while standing behind Nero. "Hey, Rivka."

Rivka looks at Betty with a curious expression while Nero's still standing in front of her. "What?"

"You know I was right." Betty says while making a proud expression.

Rivka blushes again and becomes irritated while yelling out. "Shut up!"

Betty laughs while turning and walks towards her desk.

Nero turns around and stands next to Rivka while making a confused expression at Rivka. "What was that about?"

Rivka makes a nervous expression and looks at Nero while waving her hands in front of him. "Nothing! It's nothing at all!"

Nero's still confused but shrugs it off and smiles at her. "Alright."

They both then go to their respective desks and then class starts. The day went on normally for the children while in the 2nd Branch, there's a conversation between Jerry and Isabel. They are in her office and Jerry's standing in front of Isabel's desk while Isabel is sitting down behind her desk.

Jerry's smiling at Isabel after telling her some interesting news. "What do you think?"

Isabel leans against her chair while looking at Jerry as she has a smirk on her face. "What I think is why did it take you this long to tell me about the pilots' relationship?"

Jerry laughs while putting his hands on the desk and leans towards her. "Does it bother you?"

Isabel laughs while closing her eyes and shakes her head. She then opens her eyes and looks at him. No. It doesn't bother me one bit. I'm actually happy for them." She suddenly frowns and looks down at her desk. She then gets up from her chair and turns around as she walks up to the giant glass to see HQ and all its personnel. "They deserve to at least have something normal like that."

Jerry tilts his head slightly to the right while having a concerned expression. He then sighs while closing his eyes and walks up next to her. He then opens his eyes as he turns his head to look at her. "You're right. It seems unfair that they have to give so much and not be able to be normal." Isabel looks at him and nods. She then looks back out the window as Jerry keeps looking at her with a smile and chuckles.

Isabel looks at him while being a bit surprised at Jerry suddenly laughing. She then crosses her arms while making a curious expression. "What's so funny?"

Jerry keeps smiling and turns himself to face her. "I just remembered what it was like when we were young."

Isabel blushes and instantly turns her back to him to look away while saying with a nervous tone. "R-Really?"

Jerry chuckles a little while looking down and sees Isabel's nicely shaped ass. He then looks up to see the back of Isabel's head while making a devilish smile as to display that he just thought of something inappropriate. He then walks closer to her and wraps his arms around her stomach while moving his head up next to her head and caresses his left cheek against her right cheek. "You remember, right?"

Isabel blushes even more while looking away from him and places her hands on top of his arms. "You're getting touchy. You haven't done this since we were teenagers."

Jerry keeps holding her and closes his eyes while saying with a soothing voice. "I remember this feeling as if it were yesterday. It wasn't so bad being with me, even though you kept it a secret that you dated a guy who's three years younger."

Isabel sighs and looks at him with sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I guess, I couldn't accept that I have fallen in love with a younger guy. I also didn't want people to judge me for something I wasn't certain of."

Jerry makes a serious expression and quickly lets go of her. He then turns and walks around the desk while putting his hands in his pockets.

Isabel turns around and looks at him with a sad expression while saying with a distraught voice. "Although I was older, I was still just an immature girl who didn't realize that she was ashamed of someone who was perfect for her!"

Jerry stops in front of the desk and turns around to look at her. "You know something interesting?"

Isabel just looks at him while being a bit confused.

Jerry smiles at her and says with a sincere tone. "I never stopped loving you. Sadly, you are my commanding officer and it would be unprofessional for any relationship to be established." He laughs softly while closing his eyes and tilting his head back. He then looks at her again. "But who knows, someday we may be able to be together. I just hope that day will come really soon because it's annoying to wait.

Isabel smiles at him and giggles while nodding in agreement. "Yeah."

Jerry breathes in deeply and turns away from Isabel. "Well, I got to get back to work. "He raises up his right hand and waves. "I'll be seeing you later, Commander." He then walks out of the room.

Isabel watches him walk out and thinks to herself while staring at the exit. "I never stopped loving you too, Jerry."

After that, the day continues on until it ends. A couple of days pass by and the pilots are really enjoying their time together. It's now Thursday afternoon and there wasn't any fencing class either today or yesterday for some reason that wasn't revealed to the pilots. Due to this, the pilots are home by themselves while Jerry is working at the 2nd Branch. Nero's currently on the couch while listening to his music player and he's doing his math homework. Meanwhile, Rivka's on her cellular with Betty and she's looking into the refrigerator. Rivka's wearing her green pajamas and Nero's wearing a dark green, long-sleeved shirt that has a small cross on the middle of his chest and green pants.

Betty says to Rivka through the cellular. "So...what are you and Nero going to do?" She then giggles a little.

Rivka suddenly blushes and yells out defensively. "Not what you're thinking!"

Nero turns his head to look at Rivka while making a concerned expression. "Anything wrong, Rivka?"

Rivka quickly turns around to face Nero while still blushing and says with a nervous expression. "No. Nothing's wrong, Nero." After saying that, it can be heard that Betty's laughing her butt off from the other end of the phone call.

Nero smiles and nods while not being able to hear Betty's laughter and says with a calm tone. "Alright." He then turns around and gets back to working on his homework.

Rivka sighs out of relief and turns back around to look at the refrigerator while being a bit irritated. "Why did you have to ask that?"

Betty laughs again. "Because since you two are alone, I'm curious of what you two could possibly do. That's why I ask."

Rivka gets even more irritated and whispers so that Nero doesn't hear her. "Well, we won't do anything sexual if that's what you're trying to say. We both agreed that doing anything like that could change the relationship to a level that we aren't ready for." She then pauses for a moment and then yells out with a defensive tone. And we've been only dating for over a week, so get those kind of thoughts out of your head!

Nero looks up in front of him for a moment while being curious about Rivka's outburst. He then shrugs to himself while quickly getting over his curiosity and gets back to his work.

Betty responds to Rivka in a calm tone while trying not to laugh. "Alright, Rivka. I get it that nothing extreme will happen between the two of you. Jeez."

Rivka slams the refrigerator's door while looking towards the ceiling and yells out proudly. "Damn right!"

Betty laughs once again and then says. "Well, I have to go. I'll see you two tomorrow. Bye."

Rivka smiles while calming down as she closes her eyes and lowers her head. "Bye." She then hangs up her cellular and opens her eyes as she places the cellular on the kitchen table. She then turns around while still smiling and walks up behind the couch. After reaching the couch, she crosses her arms while placing them on top of the couch and leans forward to look at Nero from his left. "Almost done?"

Nero closes his math book and puts away his papers. He then looks up at Rivka with a smile. "I just finished."

Rivka continues to smile and leans forward to kiss Nero on the lips.

Nero kisses her back and then pulls back while looking at her with curiosity. "It's interesting how confident you are with kissing me."

Rivka blushes while licking her lips and tilts her head slightly to the left. "That's because I'm tired of hiding how I feel about you."

Nero keeps smiling but then loses his smile while looking away. "I'm happy that I'm with you but I don't know how long it will last."

Rivka frowns and walks around the couch. She stops right next to Nero and sits on the couch while looking at him with concern. "Why do you say that?"

Nero looks at her while having a sad expression. "I'm so use to pain that I will always expect to be in pain by something. When I told you how I felt about you, I knew what I was getting into but I just wanted to be with you."

Rivka smiles while trying to hold back tears and softly says. "Nero...I'm happy that you told me because I wasn't sure if I would have ever told you how I feel."

Nero makes a sad smile. "I know. But the sad thing is that I'm still worried about the pain that I will suffer through soon."

Rivka grabs Nero's hands while having a sad expression and leans towards him. "Don't think like that. If you keep thinking like that then you won't be able to stay happy with me."

Nero keeps looking at her with a sad expression. "I'm sorry, Rivka. But how do I know that this happiness will last."

Rivka breathes in and makes a determined expression. "Because I promise that you'll always be happy with me as long as you believe that you'll be happy. I just need you to believe in what I'm saying and believe in me."

Nero's completely surprised at what Rivka said and thinks to himself. "To believe in her?" His expression then changes to curiosity while still thinking. "She would be the first person that I would ever believe in." He then looks down at her hands that are still holding his hands and keeps thinking. "Can I actually trust someone other than myself?" He pauses for a moment and then smiles while looking up at Rivka. He then says with confidence. "I will."

Rivka's surprised for a little bit. She then smiles and yells out joyfully while getting closer to Nero. "Really?!"

Nero nods while still smiling. "Yes. I believe in you."

Rivka yells out from happiness and throws herself on top of Nero while kissing him on the lips.

Nero falls backwards due to Rivka suddenly jumping on him while being surprised. As Rivka's on top of him, he kisses her back while closing his eyes and thinks to himself. "I believe in you, Rivka. Hopefully you can save me from who I am. If not then things won't end well for us."

They continue to make out for a while until they stop. They spend some time watching television together and it soon gets late. They both share a final kiss and go to their respective rooms. They both go to sleep for a few hours until Rivka wakes up due to a bad dream that she just had.

Rivka sits up and looks around while in the dark. She then gets up from her bed and walks out from her room. She walks towards Nero's door and stops right in front of it. She hesitates for a moment before reaching for the door and opening it. She opens the door completely and walks in while closing it behind her. She then sees Nero laying on his bed while he's facing the opposite direction from her and he's listening to his music player. She then slowly walks to his bed and lies on it while facing away from Nero.

Nero instantly opens his eyes due to feeling the bed move and turns his head to look towards the left with a tired expression. He then sees Rivka and makes a concerned expression while removing his right earphone. "Rivka?"

Rivka has tears falling down her face and she yells while her voice cracks a little. "Don't look at me!"

Nero's still concerned and turns himself completely to face towards Rivka. "Why?"

Rivka yells again while still crying. "Just don't, Nero! I just want to lay here with you!"

Nero makes a sad expression and nods while softly saying. "Alright, Rivka."

Rivka doesn't say anything while trying to stop crying.

Nero moves up close to Rivka and hugs her from behind while burying his head into the upper part of her back.

Rivka gets startled due to the sudden embrace and turns her head to look at him while still having tears forming in her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Nero looks at her by positioning his head next to her's and smiles at her. "I'm here for you like you're here for me. I won't let you suffer alone."

Rivka makes a slightly shocked expression for a moment. She then smiles and loosens Nero's grip, so that she can turn her body to face him and kisses him on the lips. "Thank you."

Nero keeps smiling. "You're welcome." He then kisses her while still holding her.

Rivka kisses him back while smiling and closes her eyes. She then thinks to herself. "I'm glad that I have him here. This is the first time I have anyone make me feel this happy."

Nero stops kissing her and just looks at her with a caring smile.

Rivka opens her eyes and makes a confused expression. "What?"

Nero responds while still smiling. "I love you."

Rivka's caught a little off guard but then quickly smiles back at Nero. "I love you too." She then gives him a quick kiss on the lips again and closes her eyes while moving her head away from him a little. "I'm tired."

Nero gives out a short laugh. "Then go to sleep."

Rivka keeps smiling and nods. "Ok. Goodnight."

Nero places his forehead against Rivka's forehead while closing his eyes. "Goodnight."

Both Pilots go to sleep and that ends the night. The next day of school starts off normally for the pilots, but at the 2nd Branch's HQ, it isn't going as normal. This is due to an argument between Jerry and Thomas. An argument about Nero and Rivka's relationship. While they argue, William and Dana are silently watching and they are standing at Dana's post.

Thomas yells at Jerry while standing right in front of him and having an upset expression. "How could you let them be together?!"

Jerry yells right back at him while having an annoyed expression. "What the hell does that suppose to mean?!"

Thomas keeps yelling with rage. "Pilots aren't suppose to be dating each other!"

Jerry responds while making an enraged expression. "Says who?!"

Thomas says with arrogance. "Says me, and I bet the commander would agree! Do you actually believe that the commander will stand for this?!"

Jerry passionately yells out with confidence and with a smile while pointing his right thumb at himself. "I already told her and she's fine with it!"

Thomas makes a shocked expression while out stretching his left arm in a gesture. "What?! What can she be thinking?! Pilots don't need to be in relationships! All they need to do is fight and be our tools!"

Jerry gets really pissed off and suddenly punches Thomas in the face with his right hand.

Thomas falls down on his back and holds his face in pain.

Jerry yells out passionately while giving Thomas a fierce glare. "Don't you ever say that again! If you do then I'll kill you!"

William walks up next to Jerry and puts his left hand on Jerry's right shoulder. He then says in a calm tone. "Relax, Jerry." He then looks at Thomas with a serious glare. "This selfish fool will never understand your feelings and will keep running at the mouth, so just ignore him."

Jerry tries to calm down while still looking at Thomas. "Unfortunately, you're right."

Thomas moves his hands out of his way of vision and looks at Jerry while sitting up. "You think you're going to get away with this?! I'll have you arrested!"

Isabel comes out of nowhere as she's standing right next Thomas while looking at him with a cold stare.

Thomas sees her out of the corner of his eye and quickly gets up while putting his hands up in a gesture. "Did you see what happened?!"

Isabel has a serious expression while still looking at him. "Yes. I saw and heard what exactly happened."

Thomas yells out while having a stressful expression. "Well, what are you going to do about this?!"

Isabel glares at him. "It's quite simple what I'm going to do." After saying that, Thomas just looks at her with a concerned expression. Isabel then says without any hesitation. "You're fired."

Thomas's shocked while yelling out. "What?!"

Jerry looks at Isabel and smiles.

Isabel says with a commanding tone. "You heard me!" She then points with her left hand at the exit. "You're fired! Now leave or I'll have security escort you out!"

Thomas becomes enraged. "You can't do that!"

Isabel continues to have a serious expression while putting her hand down. "I just did."

Frank walks up next to Isabel and looks directly at Thomas with seriousness. "Now, leave. Before we have you thrown out."

Thomas gets even more angry and yells while pointing out towards everyone. "You'll all regret this! I'll show you that it was a mistake trusting Nero, the two pilots being in a relationship, and not listening to me! You'll all see!" He then turns and marches out of the room.

Dana watches quietly as Thomas leaves while sitting at her post and thinks to herself. "Poor, Thomas. But he shouldn't have been so mean."

Jerry walks up to Isabel while still smiling. "Thank you."

Isabel looks at him and smiles. "You don't have to thank me. I didn't do it just for you. I did it for the pilots." She then looks at Frank. "We don't need someone like that in NERV."

Frank nods back at Isabel with a smile. "You got that right."

Isabel continues to smile while turning to look at William. "Although, now we are short a crew member."

William laughs while crossing his arms. "Don't worry about that. I'll take over his position. I can manage the MAGI inspection from Thomas' post."

Isabel nods with approval. "I'm glad to hear that." She then looks at everyone. "Now, let's get back to work." Everyone nod in agreement and are about to get back to work until a giant explosion occurs right next to the 2nd Branch. This causes Isabel to yell out while looking at the others. "What's going on?!" She then looks towards Dana for an answer.

Dana's currently frantically typing on her computer. "I don't know! There was a sudden explosion on the east side of us!"

Jerry says in a commanding tone. "Try to figure out what's going on?!" He looks up at the giant screen and at that same time, the giant screen displays outside of the 2nd Branch but there's nothing out there. He then thinks to himself. "Could it be an angel?!"

Meanwhile outside of the 2nd Branch, on the west side, Thomas is looking for cover due to the giant explosion. He hides behind some bushes while trying to regain his composure. He then receives a call on his cellular and he doesn't know who's calling. He then picks up the cellular and hears a man's voice.

The man says with a serious tone. "It's about time we had this talk, Captain."

Thomas has a concerned expression while looking downward. "Who the hell is this?"

The man laughs in a menacing way. "Don't be concerned about that now. There will be a helicopter heading your way in about ten minutes and it'll bring you to me. That way we can talk and you'll know who I am."

Thomas says with a nervous tone. "How do I know I can trust you?"

The man laughs again. "Because I'm going to prove to you that you were right about Nero and you'll get you're opportunity to get back at everyone for doubting you. What do you say?"

Thomas pauses for a moment and then smiles in an evil way. "That sounds good to me."

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

I told you that it was going to be short like episode 9 *Laughs*. I actually think it's short, but don't worry; the next episode will be quite interesting. This episode took me a while to write because I couldn't make up my mind about what to write and also I wasn't in the mood to write that much. I will be taking my time with the next episode, so you'll have to be a bit patient. I really hope that you all enjoyed this episode and look forward to the next one.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	12. Episode 12

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

This episode will be difficult to write. Although there are a couple more episodes before the last one, I firmly believe that this one will take a long time to get through because of conflicting ideas. I have the ending in my mind but this episode seems like a mess that I will have to work with. Obviously, this episode will start off with action, but once I get through that then I'll have to be creative. I like to thank all who have stuck it out this long for my series and I really hope I haven't disappointed you in any way. If I did then let me know and I will take to heart what you have to say. Just don't go overboard. *Laughs* Now, it's time to continue.

Episode 12: The Fifth Angel and The Truth

Right now in the 2nd Branch, everyone is trying to do what they can due to the sudden explosion that occurred on the east side of the base. They are all at their posts and they are waiting for any information on what caused the explosion. As they wait for the information, Jerry had made the decision to summon the pilots from school.

Jerry's extremely tense while watching the giant screen with his arms crossed. He then turns his eyes to the left to look at Dana. "Have you found out anything?"

Dana rapidly types on her computer and says while staring at it. "The information is coming up." She then gasps when her screen shows the words "Pattern Blue" and quickly turns to look at Jerry while having a shocked expression. "It's an angel!"

Jerry grits his teeth while still looking at the giant screen. He then thinks to himself while being a bit irritated. "I knew it! But where the hell is it?!" He then looks at Dana and says with a stern voice while trying to remain calm. "Any word on the pilots?"

Dana nods while feeling a little panicky. "They're on their way."

Jerry sighs out of relief and thinks to himself while spacing out a little. "Let's just hope that they do better together against this angel than the last one. We don't need anyone going to the hospital this time."

William interrupts Jerry's thoughts by walking up to him from the right side while having a calm expression. "Are you worried?"

Jerry's a bit startled for a moment and then quickly looks at William while making a serious expression. "Yeah. I don't want either of them to get hurt like last time."

William turns to look at the giant screen while putting his hands into his coat pockets. "That's understandable since you see the pilots as if they were your own children." He then smiles and looks at Jerry.

Jerry pauses for a moment while being a bit shocked. He then smiles while nodding. "You know me too well."

William laughs while tilting his head back. He then turns around and looks ahead of himself while saying cheerfully. "Of course!" He then walks towards his new post, which use to belong to Thomas.

Jerry watches William go to his post and suddenly becomes serious while looking back at the giant screen. He then thinks to himself. "Even though I'm worried about their safety, I have to rely on them to keep us all safe." He then pauses for a moment and looks down at the floor. He then mumbles to himself with a sad tone. "All I can do is help them win and be their support."

More explosions occur while both pilots get to the 2nd Branch. They both quickly change into their plugsuits and head towards the cage. Both pilots are now in their Evas and are waiting patiently for their orders. Rivka's currently leaning back against her seat as she's looking at the screens that shows both the outside of the base and headquarters.

Rivka thinks to herself while spacing out. "I can't believe that we have to fight after what happened to Nero." She then has a sudden flashback of Nero getting hurt and starts to cry. She then covers her face while still crying and says out loud. "I don't want him to get hurt again."

Nero hears her crying and says with a reassuring tone while looking at the screen that shows the outside of the 2nd Branch. "Don't cry, Rivka. Everything will be fine."

Rivka's eyes widen as she uncovers her face and looks up at the left side screen that shows Nero. She then tries to stop crying while saying with a strained voice. "How can you be sure?"

Nero looks at the screen that's to his right, which is the one that shows Rivka's image, and smiles at her. "Because I promise you that it will all be fine. Just do what I say."

Rivka's stun for a moment and then smiles back at him while wiping her tears off. She then nods in agreement.

Nero keeps smiling and then turns to look at the screen that shows Jerry while saying with a curious tone. "Hey, Jerry."

Jerry responds through his microphone while having a bit of a concerned expression. "What is it?"

Nero says with a calm expression while being a bit serious. "I have an idea to defeat the angel. Can you trust me enough to let us do this my way?"

Jerry hesitates a little while being a bit surprised. He then responds with a concerned expression. "I don't know, Nero. We can't even locate where the angel is. How would you and Rivka be able to fight it?"

Nero gives off a short laugh while closing his eyes. He then opens his eyes and looks at Jerry. "Just trust me."

Jerry sighs while lowering his head and closes his eyes momentarily. He then opens them and looks up at Nero's screen while saying with a firm tone. "Alright. Do it your way."

Nero smiles again and nods. "Thanks, Jerry. You won't regret it."

Jerry sighs again while shrugging a little. "I hope you're right."

William turns and looks at Jerry with a smile. "It wouldn't hurt since we don't have the proper equipment to locate the angel anyway. We don't even have a plan."

Jerry looks at William with a serious expression. "That's the problem. How do we even know that Nero's plan have even a bit of a chance of succeeding when we don't even have one?"

William laughs. "By having faith in them, of course. You say that all the time, remember?" He then smiles again.

Jerry's surprised by the comment and then closes his eyes while he chuckles to himself. "You're right." He then opens his eyes and looks at William. "Thank you, my friend."

William keeps smiling and says with a sincere tone. "Anytime."

Nero was listening in on Jerry and William's conversation while having a curious expression. He then smiles and says directed at Jerry. "Now that you have more faith in us, it's time for us to go."

Jerry looks at Nero and nods. He then turns to look at Dana. "Get ready to launch the Evas."

Dana turns herself around to look at Jerry and smiles while nodding. She then turns back to her computer and starts to rapidly type on it.

Rivka looks at every screen leading up to Nero's and then says to him with a concern tone. "Nero. Are you sure that your plan will work?"

Nero looks at her with a plain expression. He then gives her a caring smile. "Trust me, Rivka. It will work." He laughs softly. "Just make sure you do everything I say, alright?"

Rivka hesitates a little and nervously nods while trying not to blush. She then thinks to herself while staring at him. "He talks with so much confidence. How could he be like that after what happened last time?"

Nero looks at the main screen while having a calm expression.

Rivka continues to watch Nero, even though he's no longer looking at her anymore as she keeps thinking to herself. "I guess I'll just have to trust him." She then turns to look at the main screen.

Jerry looks at both pilots for a moment and then says with a serious tone while glancing at Dana. "Now?"

Dana shouts out while still looking at her computer. "Yes!"

Jerry looks at the main screen that's showing the two Evas and yells out. "Launch Eva!"

Both Evas are launched right where the first explosion had occurred. As soon as they arrive, both pilots look around to see if they can locate the angel. As they search for the angel, there's a lot of tension at headquarters.

Jerry looks intensely at the main screen while saying with a calm tone. "Alright, Nero. Go for it."

Nero smiles and nods. He then looks at Rivka's screen again. "Wait for my command, Rivka."

Rivka looks at him and nervously smiles while nodding. "Ok."

Nero makes his Eva move away from the 2nd Branch. He then stops while turning towards the 2nd Branch and Unit 05. He then plants the red Lance of Longinus down onto the ground that's to his right. He then drops his shield on the ground and raises the Eva's arms up while standing in a cross-like position.

Rivka yells out to him while having a worried expression. "Nero! What are you doing?!" After Rivka's cry, everyone at headquarters watch with concerned expressions on each of their faces.

Jerry grits his teeth while gripping on his arms with his hands. He then becomes more tense while thinking to himself. "I get what he's trying to do, but will it actually work?"

Nero tightens his grip on the controls while looking around the area and thinks to himself. "If I'm right then it will definitely fall for this."

Rivka keeps looking at Unit 04 and thinks to herself. "What is he trying to do?" She then suddenly hears a deep growl coming from behind her and she's stunned for a moment while her eyes widen.

Nero hears the growl and his eyes narrow while smiling to himself. "I knew it." He then lowers the Eva's arms while with the Eva's right hand, he grabs the lance and yells out. "Rivka, move!"

Rivka snaps out of it and quickly makes her Eva move towards the right.

Nero lifts up the lance off the ground. He then quickly aims and throws it at where Unit 05 was standing. It then seems to have hit something due to a sudden image appearing but the image quickly disappears.

5th Angel *Collunsiel* screeches out in pain. It then pulls off the lance from it, which the lance had hit it on the left side of its chest.

Nero smiles again and softly says to himself. "I got it. Now that phase one is complete, we can go on to phase two."

Jerry's surprised as he mumbles to himself. "He knew it was going to go after Rivka. I had thought that his plan was to have the angel attack him." He then makes a serious expression while staring at the giant screen and thinks to himself. "How did Nero know that it will do that?"

Rivka turns her Eva to look at Unit 04 and then looks at where the lance is being held by Collunsiel. She then thinks to herself while trying to regain her composure. "That was a close one. If it wasn't for Nero, I would have been in a lot of trouble." She then looks at the screen that shows Nero inside his Eva and keeps thinking to herself. "Was that his plan? Did he know that it was going to attack me from behind?"

Nero looks at the screen that shows Rivka while he has a calm expression. He then smiles at her while closing his eyes. "Are you ready for the next step?" Rivka's about to respond but gets cut off by Collunsiel. It suddenly screeches again and throws the lance at Unit 04. The lance then transforms in mid-point of the throw into its piercing form and continues to head towards the Eva. Nero opens his eyes and as he sees the lance heading towards him, he makes an excited expression while smiling. He then makes Unit 04 do a back-flip while at the same time, the lance misses the Eva by going right above the Eva's chest plates. Nero makes the Eva do a bit of a hand stand while having it land in a crouching position as the Eva's hands are still touching the ground. Unit 04 then glares at where Collunsiel is supposed to be while Nero smiles again. "Nice try." He then looks at Rivka and yells out in a commanding tone. "Rivka, attack now at the area where the lance came from!"

Rivka hesitates for an instant but then turns her attention to where Collunsiel is supposed to be. She then makes a serious expression and starts to shoot at it with the Eva's rifles.

Collunsiel quickly dodges the shots and lunges itself towards Unit 05 while making a loud roar.

Rivka gasps as she hears Collunsiel's roar and sees foot-prints being made as it heads towards her. She then quickly tries to back away from Collunsiel while shooting at it and screams out. "Back off!"

Collunsiel becomes a little bit more visible due to the shots being fired at it, but it continues to chase after Unit 05 without slowing down.

Nero makes a serious expression while making his Eva run towards Collunsiel and Unit 05.

Rivka keeps making her Eva back up while panicking and screaming. "Get the hell away!"

Collunsiel reaches and grabs Unit 05's left arm with its right arm. It then holds onto the Eva so it won't retreat anymore and roars again.

Rivka gasps while still firing at Collunsiel and keeps screaming at it. "Let me go, you bastard!"

Nero stops his Eva from running but instantly makes it jump up into the air. The Eva then lands right on top of Collunsiel, which makes it let go of Unit 05.

Collunsiel falls backward to the ground while Unit 04 stands on top of it and makes screeching sounds while trying to fight back.

Rivka's surprised by the sudden attack from Unit 04 and watches quietly.

Jerry makes a shocked expression while being amazed as the others in headquarters start to cheer Nero on.

Nero smiles and makes his Eva grab onto Collunsiel's arms. Unit 04 then starts to pull the angel's arms by pressing its right foot against the angel's chest and with one forceful pull; Collunsiel's arms are ripped off.

Collunsiel screeches in pain. It then lifts up its legs and kicks Unit 04 off of it. It then gets up while becoming visible. Collunsiel has a human-like form and the top part of its head is flat while square-shaped. It has razor-sharp teeth and its eyes are completely red. Most of Collunsiel's body is the color grey up to its limbs, which are black.

Nero looks at Collunsiel's arms while having a plain expression, which his Eva is still holding the arms that have become visible as well. He then drops them to the ground and looks at Collunsiel with a smile while saying in a sarcastic way. "Sorry." He then laughs softly.

Collunsiel roars and then turns to glare at Unit 05. This startles Rivka while she lets out a small gasp. Collunsiel then runs towards Unit 05 while grunting.

Nero makes an annoyed expression and yells out. "Rivka, snap out of it!"

Rivka hears Nero and regains her composure while making a serious expression. She then maneuvers her Eva to dodge Collunsiel's attack and makes her Eva spin around Collunsiel. She then puts on her helmet to aim the cannons at Collunsiel and yells out with confidence. "I'm not going to be vulnerable anymore!"

Nero smiles while being pleased by hearing what Rivka said.

Collunsiel turns and looks at Unit 05 with intensity.

Rivka smiles and yells out. "Go to hell, you bastard!" She then shoots the cannons at Collunsiel and that causes a big explosion. As a result, everyone at headquarters feel a shock-wave that was caused by the explosion. They all keep watching the main screen while trying not to fall to the floor due to the shock-wave. Unit 05 then gets covered with smoke that was created from the explosion as Rivka is unable to see anything.

Nero makes an emotionless expression while staring towards where the smoke is. He then sees a shadow move and this causes his eyes to widen while making a concerned expression. He then desperately yells out while looking towards Unit 05. "Rivka, get out of there!"

Rivka hears Nero and tries to move, but it's too late. Collunsiel lunges itself at Unit 05 and wraps its legs completely around the Eva while roaring at it. This causes Rivka to scream while frantically moving the controls in the attempt to break free. Unfortunately, Collunsiel won't let go.

Jerry unfolds his arms while making a gesture with them and yells out with a worried tone. "Get away from it, Rivka!"

Rivka yells back in response while having a panicked expression. "I'm trying!"

Collunsiel laughs in an evil way while its core that's located on its stomach starts to glow.

Jerry panics and yells out again. "It's getting ready to self-destruct! You have to get away from it!"

Rivka gasps while struggling to break free from Collunsiel's grip and starts to panic. "I can't get away!"

Nero makes his Eva appear behind Collunsiel as he makes a serious expression. He then thrusts Eva Unit 04's right hand into the lower region of Collunsiel's back. As a result, Collunsiel makes a loud screeching sound due to the pain it feels from Unit 04's attack. At the same time, everyone at headquarters is surprised by Unit 04's sudden attack. Nero then has Unit 04 grab onto Collunsiel's core and pulls it out from behind. He then makes the Eva back up a bit and throws the core far up towards the sky. The core then explodes while creating a small shock wave.

Everyone at headquarters feel a little bit of the shock-wave. Collunsiel then dies due to not having its core anymore and lets go of Eva Unit 05 while falling to the ground.

Rivka's completely shocked as she's looking down at the now dead angel. At the same time, everyone at headquarters is still a bit surprised. They then realize that the fight is over and they all start to cheer.

Jerry sighs out of relief while he falls to the floor and looks at the floor while sitting down. He then thinks to himself while everyone else keeps on celebrating. "That was too close for comfort. There would have been a lot of damage to both Unit 05 and the city if Nero hadn't done something."

William turns his chair around to look at Jerry with a smile. "Are you alright?"

Jerry looks at William and smiles at him while looking a bit exhausted. "Yeah. I'm just happy that the fight is over." He then chuckles.

William keeps smiling while making a sincere expression. He then closes his eyes and tilts his head to the left. "Same here."

Rivka looks at Nero from inside her entry plug while they both head back to the cage. She has a spaced out expression while whispering to herself. "He saved me again. He promised that he would make sure nothing would happen to me and he kept his promise." She smiles and then yells out joyfully. "Nero!"

Nero looks at her while having a plain expression. He then leans a bit forward while placing his right elbow on his right leg's knee as that leg is curled up a bit. He then places the palm of his right hand under his chin to hold his head up and says with curiosity. "Yes?"

Rivka keeps smiling while blushing a little. "Thank you for protecting me."

Nero turns red while being quite surprised at what Rivka said. He then nervously looks away while being a bit hesitant. "I-I said that I would protect you, so you don't have to thank me." He then nervously looks at her while still being a bit red and smiles at her.

Rivka stops blushing and playfully blows a kiss at him. She then winks at him while saying with a smart-ass tone. "But I like thanking you because I get to see that expression on your face."

Nero gets a bit irritated while trying to maintain his composure. He then sighs while lowering his head for a moment. He then looks at Rivka again while quickly getting over her comment.

Rivka giggles a little while saying with a teasing voice. "Did I say something to make you feel uncomfortable?"

Nero sighs again while closing his eyes and tilting his head back a little. "Maybe."

Rivka likes what she hears and smiles. "Now you know how it feels."

Nero laughs while leaning against his seat and places his right hand next to him. He then looks at her with a smile. "Yeah, but that won't stop me from saying those uncomfortable things to you."

Rivka makes a surprised expression while blushing again and yells out with a voice that was little high-pitch. "But you said that you wouldn't anymore!"

Nero laughs again due to her reaction while tilting his head back again. He then looks at her with a happy expression. "That was before we started dating, but now that we're together, I want to be open about what I think. No matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel." He smiles again.

Rivka looks away while still blushing and thinks to herself. "Oh, great! Now he's going to make me feel uncomfortable almost all the time!" She then takes a deep breath while closing her eyes. She then smiles to herself and thinks. "I'll just have to deal with it. I do have to admit that I like it when he's honest about what he thinks."

Nero keeps looking at her. He then suddenly remembers something and yells out with a smile. "Hey, Rivka!"

Rivka opens her eyes and looks at him with a curious expression. "What is it?"

Nero smiles at her and gives her a thumb up while having a sincere expression. "You did good today. I knew I could count on you."

Rivka blushes again and then smiles while shyly nodding at him. "Thank you."

Both pilots soon arrive back into the 2nd Branch. They then go and change out of their plugsuits. Soon after that, Jerry takes them home to relax after such an intense battle. Meanwhile, Commander Skylark is having a conversation over the telephone while Sub-Commander Norwood stands next to her.

Isabel's currently sitting on her chair while having a serious expression. "Is that so?" She then pauses for a response from who she's talking to. She then says calmly. "Well let me know if you find him." She pauses again and says again to the person she's talking to. "Thank you very much." She then hangs up the phone and sighs while looking at her desk.

Frank looks at her with a concerned expression while crossing his arms. "What's wrong?"

Isabel looks at him with a stressed expression. "It seems that our agents lost sight of Thomas Russell due to the angel attacking. They are currently looking for him, but so far they haven't found him."

Frank continues to be concerned while walking around the desk and stops in front of the desk as he keeps looking at Isabel. "That's very odd. How could he have disappeared after the angel had attack?"

Isabel nods in agreement. "Yes, especially when he exited from the opposite side of the facility. There's no way he could have been attack by the angel."

Frank looks to the side while making an emotionless expression. "Could it have been possible that someone had taken him?"

Isabel sighs while closing her eyes for a moment and points her head downward. She then looks up at him again. "That would be the worst case scenario since who would have been able to take him away without any of our personnel noticing?"

Frank looks at her while making a serious expression. "Unfortunately, you're right."

As they both continue to be baffled at the disappearance of Thomas, time passes by and now there's a conversation being held between the Committee and Thomas. Thomas is at the opposite end of the table from Chairmen Keel.

Thomas currently has a smug look on his face while looking at Chairmen Keel as he's leaning against his chair. "I can't believe you chose me. I was actually starting to think that you guys were as dumb as the fools that I use to work with until you called me."

The third male associate gets annoyed at Thomas and yells at him. "Watch your tone and your words! You may be a guess of the chairmen, but don't be so dumb to bad mouth him."

Chairmen Keel looks at his associate and says with a stern tone. "Don't worry about how he talks. He's just like everyone else." He then looks at Thomas and smiles. "He thinks he knows everything."

Thomas laughs arrogantly. "Apparently I do since you told me that I was right about Nero."

Chairmen Keel laughs while tilting his head back. He then looks at Thomas with a smile. "There's a difference between a lucky guess and actually knowing something."

Thomas raises his right eyebrow while having a skeptical expression. "Really? Then tell me how it was a lucky guess."

The second male associate looks at Thomas with a deep stare while saying with a serious tone. "Easy. Nero's purpose goes beyond tricking those "fools" from the 2nd Branch into believing that he actually cares."

Thomas looks at the associate with a demented smile. "You don't say? Please let me in on the big secret."

Chairmen Keel responds with a serious tone. "I was planning on telling you either way. So listen up because I won't repeat myself."

Thomas looks at the chairmen while still smiling. "Yes, sir."

Chairmen Keel's about to start talking, but then he feels his cellular vibrate. He then pulls it out of his pocket and sees that Nero is calling him. He then presses the ignore button and turns off the cellular. After doing that, he turns back his attention to Thomas and starts to tell him the truth.

Nero's currently in his room while sitting on top of his bed as he's wearing a white long sleeve shirt that has a black giant cross on the front and back. In the case of the pants, they're black while having white crosses on the ends of the pants. Nero puts down the cellular after Keel hanged up on him and looks up at the ceiling while thinking to himself. "He never ignores my calls. So there must be something up." He looks towards the right side while making a plain expression and faintly says to himself. "I have a really bad feeling." He then pauses for a moment while now looking at the ceiling again. "Could it be that my time with Rivka has come to an end?" He slowly closes his eyes while sighing and lays down on his back. He then puts his arms behind his head while opening his eyes again and looks back at the ceiling as he thinks to himself. "I knew this would eventually happen, but now that I'm actually happy...I don't want to give it up." He pauses for a moment again while closing his eyes and says out loud. "This sucks."

Nero goes to sleep while thinking about what he must give up and due to the fact that he thought he would never have it, he must silently suffer with this issue. It was a sad night for Nero, but it's only the beginning of his sadness and pain. Hopefully, he'll find a way to not lose everything just because of what he believes he must do.

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

This episode was just like I thought it would be. It was freaking hard! The fighting scene came out pretty good and I made it last as long as possible, even though it wasn't my intent. Once again, I would like to thank my friend Kevin for his help with the proof reading. I really appreciate it. The next episode is definitely going to be a toss-up because I'm completely lost at what it will be about. I know that it will be the last episode that Nero will have a normal life with Rivka because I'm steadily reaching the end of my series. I just hope that you all are enjoying it as much as I am and I also hope you have nice things to say about it too. *Laughs*

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	13. Episode 13

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

Episode 13 is here! I seriously thought I would never get to this point, but I'm finally here. Unfortunately, this episode will be more of a mess for me to figure out than the last one. The only thing I know for sure is that this is the prelude to the final battle, which I have been dying to say that for a long time! *Laughs* I also know that this episode will be quite emotional in a personal way for Nero and he will be faced with a choice. Just hope that he makes the right choice. I'm going to say this because I feel like I must, so that I don't get in trouble. I do NOT own Neon Genesis Evangelion and I sadly never will, but hopefully someday I could work with the great man who made, by my opinion, one of the greatest series ever. Enjoy the story, everyone.

Episode 13: Nero's Pain and The Last Night

It's now Saturday morning and Nero wakes up while having a lot of things on his mind. He gets out of his bed and goes to the kitchen. It's a bit too early to be up since synchronization practice isn't until later in the day. So, Nero decides to grab something to eat and calmly eats at the kitchen table.

Jerry opens his bedroom door while carrying a bunch of empty cans of beer with both hands. He walks pass Nero to throw away the cans and then goes to the other side of the table. He sits down on the chair and gives Nero a serious look.

Nero looks at Jerry while being a bit confused. He then stops eating while saying with a concerned tone. "Is there something wrong?"

Jerry maintains his seriousness for a bit while staring at Nero. He then suddenly smiles while closing his eyes and tilting his head slightly towards the left. "Nope."

Nero smiles out of relief and starts to eat again while looking at his food, which he happens to be eating cereal. He then thinks to himself while eating. "That's good. For a moment, I thought there was something about me that was bothering him."

Jerry interrupts Nero from eating while opening his eyes and makes another serious expression. "Nero, there's something I want to ask you."

Nero's eyes widen while he stops eating and hesitantly looks at Jerry with a nervous expression. He then thinks to himself. "Oh crap. I thought too soon." He then calms down a bit while still being a little nervous. "What is it?"

Jerry stares at Nero with intensity and says with a calm tone. "Do you truly care about Rivka?"

Nero's stunned for a moment, but then relaxes while smiling at Jerry. "Yes. I do care about her." He then pauses for a moment while making a curious expression. "Why do you ask?"

Jerry keeps staring at him while still having a bit of a serious expression. He then closes his eyes again and smiles. "I just wanted to hear you say it. I knew that you cared about her a lot based on your actions on the battlefield, but I just wanted to hear it from you." He then opens his eyes and looks at Nero again.

Nero smiles and gives out a short nod. "Ok." He then slowly stops smiling while looking down at his food again and thinks to himself. "Thank God that's all."

Jerry keeps looking at Nero while making a concerned expression. "Nero?"

Nero looks up at Jerry while having a concerned expression as well. "Yes?"

Jerry continues to look at Nero with the same expression. "Is there something bothering you?"

Nero smiles nervously. "No. Nothing's bothering me."

Jerry tilts his head to the right while staring at Nero with a sincere expression. "Well if there ever is anything that's bothering you or you just need someone to talk with, then you know that you can talk to me, right?"

Nero makes a bit of a surprised expression. He then changes his expression to a calm one and nods. "Right." He then looks away while making an emotionless expression and thinks to himself. "I wish that was true, but I'm restricted from doing that. If I could be that open, I would be." He pauses for a moment while closing his eyes and then continues his thought. "Especially with Rivka. I would tell her everything about me." He then pauses again while opening his eyes and turning his head to look at his food. He then continues to think. "I would even tell her about my father and my brother."

Nero continues to eat while Jerry gets up from the seat and goes to his room. Time then goes by for a bit and eventually Rivka gets up. Nero and Rivka then spend some time together before they have to go to the 2nd Branch. Time keeps going by until the pilots have to go to the 2nd Branch. Jerry takes both pilots to HQ and as soon as they get there, both pilots get ready and head to their Evas. Jerry and everyone else in HQ are waiting patiently for the pilots to be ready for the synchronization test.

Dana's sitting at her post while looking at her computer screen and typing on the keyboard. "Everything's ready."

Jerry stands at his usual spot while crossing his arms as he's smiling. "Good. And the pilots?"

William's sitting at his post while looking at his computer. He then turns to look at Jerry. "They just got in the Eva and are waiting to begin."

Jerry continues to smile. "Then let's not keep them waiting any longer." He gives out a short laugh and then yells out. "Start synchronization!"

William nods in agreement and turns to look at his computer as he starts typing on it.

Dana smiles while also typing on her computer.

The test starts and both pilots are focusing on synchronizing. So far the test is going smoothly until Dana notices something about Nero's synchronization that doesn't seem right.

Dana makes a concerned expression while turning to look at Jerry. Major.

Jerry looks at Dana with a calm expression. "What is it?"

Dana turns back to look at her computer while motioning Jerry to come towards her. "Look at Nero's synchronization."

Jerry walks up to Dana and leans forward to look at the screen. He then makes a surprised expression while yelling out. "His synchronization is so low! It's at 60% and shows no sign of improving!" He pauses and looks up at the giant screen that shows Nero while making a worried expression. "This is the first time his synchronization is lower than Rivka's, and it's this low to boot."

William says from his post while looking at his screen. "This could be a problem." He then pauses and looks at Jerry. "But how is it possible that he's having trouble after all this time? He's had the highest sync ratio since he's been here."

Dana leans back against her chair, so that she can look at William, and says with a concerned tone. "Could it have something to do with him getting injured before?"

William looks at her while shaking his head. "That can't be it. His sync ratio was over 90% when we fought the last angel. It has to be something else, but I can't imagine what it could be."

Jerry keeps looking at Nero's sync ratio and then says into his microphone while still in the same position. "Nero."

Nero's currently sitting inside his entry plug with his back against the seat while his eyes are closed. He then calmly responds. "Yes, Major?"

Jerry has a concerned expression as he stands up straight and looks at the giant screen that shows both pilots. "Is there something wrong? Your synchronization is very low."

Nero slowly opens his eyes while pulling up his head to look at the ceiling of the plug and smiles. "Sorry. I'm not really concentrating."

William joins in on the conversation while saying with a serious tone. "Well, you have to concentrate during these tests. That way we can accurately record your progress. You should already understand that, Nero."

Nero nods while still looking up at the ceiling. "I know. I'm sorry." He then looks down towards the floor and closes his eyes while thinking to himself. "I guess I'm just not in the mood to try, but to keep them happy, I'll do it."

Dana's looking at her computer and sees that Nero's synchronization suddenly jumps up. This causes her to make a surprised expression and quickly turns her head to look at Jerry while yelling out. "His synchronization instantly went up to 90%!"

Jerry looks at her while being amazed at the sudden increase of the sync ratio while yelling out. "Really?!" He then smiles and says into his microphone while turning to look at Nero's image. "There we go, Nero! That's the Nero we all have come to know and love!

Nero suddenly opens his eyes while having a stunned expression as he thinks to himself. "Love?" He then sighs while tilting his head back and spaces out as he's still thinking. "Why did he have to say that?"

Rivka's image suddenly appears on Nero's left side screen as she has a concerned expression. "Are you alright, Nero?"

Nero's eyes widen and he turns his head to look at Rivka. He then makes a calm expression. "I'm alright. You don't have to worry."

Rivka smiles and nods. "Alright, but always remember that you don't have to keep things from me. I love you, Nero Akaya and I'll always be here for you like you're here for me."

Nero's surprised for a moment due to what she said. He then smiles at her while saying. "Doesn't that last part sound familiar?"

Rivka keeps smiling at Nero. "Yes it does. You said that to me before and I'll use it too because it's the truth." She then winks at him.

Nero closes his eyes while laughing and tilting his head back a little. "You got that right." He then opens his eyes and looks at Rivka with a sincere smile.

Rivka continues to smile while she tilts her head slightly to the left and tucks the right side of her hair behind her ear with her right hand.

Jerry watches them while smiling and thinks to himself. "It's good to be young. You can be so connected with the person that you love that it seems like nothing else matters." He then looks towards the left side and keeps thinking. "How I miss that so much." He then turns around and looks up at Isabel's office. He then sees Isabel and Frank watching the pilots from the office.

Isabel notices Jerry looking at her and looks at him with a smile.

Jerry smiles back at her and waves at her with his right hand.

Isabel waves back with her left hand while still smiling and thinks to herself. "Same old, Jerry."

Soon after that, the test ends and both pilots soon go home. They both then spend the rest of the day together and then tomorrow comes. It goes by fairly quick and the school week then starts off normally up until Wednesday after school. Both pilots go to their fencing class but sees it's still closed. They then notice Abigail getting into her car and they both go towards her.

Abigail notices Nero and Rivka. She then gets out of her car and smiles at the two of them. "Hey!"

Rivka has a concerned expression. "Sensei? Why is the dojo closed?"

Abigail stops smiling and makes a sad expression. "The dojo has been temporarily closed down."

Nero raises his right eye brow while being a bit surprised. "Really?!"

Abigail looks at Nero and nods while still having a sad expression.

Rivka makes an upset expression. "But why?!"

Abigail looks at Rivka. "Our funds have been cut off, so now we have to wait until we have sufficient funds to open up again."

Nero talks with a serious tone. "How long has this been going on?"

Abigail looks at him and she makes a surprised expression. "Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot to call the two of you to let you know. By the way, how are you doing, Nero? I heard you got hurt a while back when you fought an angel."

Nero laughs while waving his right hand as a gesture to reassure her. "I'm fine." He then puts his hand down. "My wound healed up quite a bit, although I now have a scar on the middle of my chest."

Abigail smiles at him. "Well it's good that you only came out with that scar."

Rivka's smiling while looking at Abigail. She then realizes something and says directly to Abigail. "I just realized that you don't know about me and Nero."

Abigail looks at her while having a concerned expression. "What do you mean?"

Rivka keeps smiling and looks down at Nero's right hand. She then grabs it with her left hand and she looks at Abigail while still smiling.

Nero glances at her while having a bit of a surprised expression. He then smiles and looks at Abigail.

Abigail's jaw drops while being surprised and yells out. "You two are together?!" She then claps her hands together and smiles. "That's wonderful!"

Nero and Rivka both look at each other while they blush a bit. They then look at Abigail and nod.

Abigail gets very excited and suddenly hugs them. "I'm so happy for the two of you!"

Nero's surprised at the sudden embrace and thinks to himself. "Ok...this is weird." He then looks at Abigail while she's still hugging him and Rivka and keeps thinking to himself. "I don't know how to react to this."

Rivka hugs Abigail back with her right arm while smiling and yells out joyfully. "Thanks!"

Nero looks at Rivka while having a confused expression and thinks to himself. "It must be easy to be open with your feelings and comfortable with another's embrace."

Abigail lets go of both of them and takes a few steps back while still smiling. "Well I have to go. I hope I get to see you two sometime soon."

Rivka nods while smiling back at her. "Same here."

Nero nods in agreement as well.

Abigail turns and gets into her car. She's about to drive off but then sticks her head out the window and yells out. "Don't forget to invite me to the wedding!" She then giggles lightly.

Rivka blushes a little bit while making a surprised expression. She then gets a bit annoyed and yells out while clenching her right fist. "That's messed up, Sensei!"

Nero turns a bit red while making a nervous expression as he's looking down at the ground.

Abigail giggles even more while she pulls her head back into the car and drives away.

Rivka blushes a bit more while still being irritated. She then pulls her head back while still clenching her fist and screams out. "Why does everyone have to make comments that make me feel uncomfortable?!"

Nero stops blushing and laughs. He then looks at Rivka with a smile. "Maybe because you let yourself feel uncomfortable about the truth."

Rivka quickly turns her head to look at Nero and glares at him while being a bit upset. "Who's side are you on?!"

Nero keeps smiling and gets closer to Rivka. He then puts the back of his left hand on her left cheek while still holding Rivka's other hand. "I'm on your side, of course." He then kisses her on the lips while closing his eyes.

Rivka's a bit stunned at first and then closes her eyes while receiving Nero's kiss and smiles.

Nero stops kissing her after a little while putting his left hand down and takes a step back while still holding her hand. "You feel better?"

Rivka opens her eyes to look at Nero and nods while smiling at him. "Yes."

Nero slowly lets go of her hand and turns around. He then turns his head to the left to look at her. "Let's go home."

Rivka nods and walks up next to Nero while still looking at him. "Alright."

Nero keeps looking at her while smiling. "By the way, I have a question."

Rivka makes a bit of a confused expression. "What is it?"

Nero keeps smiling while giving out a short laugh. "Wouldn't you like to marry me?"

Rivka's stunned by his sudden question and this causes her to hesitate while blushing again. "I would...someday." She then looks away from him while still blushing.

Nero continues to smile while slightly tilting his head to the left. "I'm happy to hear that." He then looks ahead and starts to walk.

Rivka stops blushing while looking at Nero again as she nods to herself. She then quickly catches up to him, so that she can walk beside him.

Both pilots then head home and the day soon ends. Thursday goes by quickly with nothing out of the ordinary occurring and then comes Friday. It's about 6 in the morning and Nero is woken up by his cellular ringing. It takes him a little bit but he's able to finally answer it while still laying in bed and he didn't even check who was calling.

Nero tries to open his eyes while laying on his back. He puts his cellular up against his right ear while holding it in his right hand and says with a tired tone. "Hello?"

A man's voice comes through the phone and says with a serious tone. "It has been a long time, Nero."

Nero's eyes open up instantly as he makes a shocked expression and yells out in a low volume. "I recognize this voice! Is this who I think it is?!"

The man responds while still maintaining a serious tone. "Yes, Nero. It's me."

Nero sighs while putting his left arm over his face and says with an annoyed, but calm tone. "What do you want?"

The man says plainly without hesitation. "I wanted to know how you were doing."

Nero moves his arm out of his face while quickly sitting up as his right leg is curled up for him to rest his right elbow on his knee and says with an emotionless tone. "Why do you even care now? We haven't spoken in such a long time, and you choose now to have the nerve to ask me how I'm doing.

"I know you hate me. I didn't expect anything else from you."

Nero gets more annoyed while yelling out in a low volume again. "Then be straightforward with me! I'm not stupid! I know you called me for something other than you wanting to know how I'm doing!"

The man gives out a short laugh and then continues to say with seriousness. "You're as smart as ever. I actually want to talk to you about two subjects."

Nero makes an irritated expression. "What are they?"

"First, I want to talk to you about your brother."

Nero looks towards the left side of the room while making an emotionless expression as he's scratching his head with his left hand. "What about him?"

"He's doing well. He's actually being social with people. Just like you are doing with the 6th Child."

Nero bites his tongue out of being angry with what the man said. He then calms down while saying, "What's your point?"

"I just want you to know that you both are improving your lives."

Nero responds with an irritated tone. "Whatever. What's the other thing you want to tell me or talk about?"

The man pauses for a moment and then responds with a stern tone. "I want you to come back."

Nero's eyes widen while being enraged by what he just heard. He then looks at the wall that's in front of him and yells. "Are you fucking serious?! No way in hell! I'm never going to go back to you!"

The man clears his throat and says with a serious tone again. "I can understand why you are upset, but I really want you to consider it."

Nero grits his teeth while he punches his bed and yells out of rage in his mind. "I fucking hate this man!" He then puts his left hand on his forehead and grips onto his hair with his fingers. "Why the hell does he have to do this to me?! Why now?!" His eyes narrow while still being upset.

"Nero. I know how you feel about me, and I know you won't believe me when I say this, but hopefully you will."

Nero's stunned for a moment and then makes a curious expression. "What is it?"

"We need you here."

Nero makes a questionable expression while raising his right eyebrow. "We?"

The man lets out a soft sigh and says while trying to sound sincere. "I...need you to come back."

Nero's surprised for a moment and then says with an emotionless tone while regaining his composure. "Why?"

The man says with a cold tone. "I just do."

Nero sighs while looking down and having sad expression. "That's not good enough."

The man responds with a sad tone. "I know."

Nero looks up at the ceiling while tears start to form. "Goodbye...Father." He then moves the cellular away from his ear and hangs it up. After he hangs up, drops it on the bed and tries not to cry while still looking at the ceiling. "Why are there so many difficulties in life?" He then pauses and listens to the silence of his room for a moment until he hears his cellular ring again. This causes him to get a bit irritated at hearing it due to him thinking it's his father again and grabs it while turning his head to look at it and mumbles in anger. "What the hell...?!" He then realizes that it's Chairmen Keel who's calling and quickly calms himself down. He then answers it and puts the phone against his left ear while resting his right arm's forearm on his knee. "Hello, Chairmen."

Chairmen Keel says with a strict tone. "Nero."

Nero makes a concerned expression while asking with a curious tone. "Yes?"

"Tomorrow is the day. Do you understand?"

Nero's eyes widen while making a shocked expression. He then regains his composure by shaking his head rapidly a little and says with a calm tone while looking down. "Yes, sir."

"You remember what to do, right?"

Nero nods to himself. "Of course."

"Good. Bye." Chairmen Keel then hangs up.

Nero pauses for a moment while the cellular hanged up on his end. He then slowly puts his cellular down while staring at the wall that's in front of him and thinks to himself. "Tomorrow..." Tears then start to go down his face while he whispers to himself. "Damn it..." He suddenly falls backwards to lay down on his bed and stares at the ceiling while tears continue to fall.

A little bit of time goes by and it's time for the pilots to go to school. Nero doesn't say a word to Rivka during the time they walk to school and this worries her. She tried talking to him but she wasn't successful. For the first half of school, she's still concerned about Nero and once lunch time comes, she expresses her concern to Betty.

Rivka's sitting in her desk while looking at Betty with a concerned expression. "I just don't know what's wrong with him."

Betty's sitting on Rivka's desk while facing towards the windows and she's swinging her feet. "I wouldn't put too much thought into it." She then looks at Rivka. "He probably wasn't in the mood to talk."

Rivka holds up her head by putting her right hand on her cheek while still being a bit concerned. She then says with a sad tone while still looking at Betty. "It isn't that. I tried talking to him and he plainly just ignored me."

Betty's stunned by what Rivka said and she gets off the desk. She then stands in front of her while being a bit annoyed. "Then let's go find him and confront him! He said that he would always protect you!" She then leans towards Rivka while putting her hands on her hips. "He's obviously not doing that if he's ignoring you, right?!

Rivka just looks at Betty while still having a concerned expression.

Betty gets a bit more irritated and grabs onto Rivka's hands. She then pulls her to get up. "Come on!"

Rivka stands up in front of Betty while looking away from her as she's making a sad expression.

Betty sees Rivka's face and then pulls her to follow. "We are going to go find him, and I know exactly where he is right now." She keeps walking while still pulling Rivka.

Rivka watches her while following and thinking to herself. "I know where he is too."

Both Rivka and Betty head up to the rooftop. Once they get there, they see Nero, who's reading the Bible and listening to music while he's sitting down on the floor and leaning against the giant fence.

Rivka stands in front of Nero while looking at him and she still has a sad expression.

Betty looks at Rivka and she makes a sad expression. She then turns her attention to Nero and she makes a serious expression. "Nero!"

Nero keeps listening to his music while he's reading the Bible. He then whispers a verse from the Bible to himself. "God is in his Heaven, all's right with the world." He pauses for a moment and thinks to himself while making a concerned expression. "I swear something's missing." After thinking that, he looks up and he's a bit surprised that Rivka and Betty are suddenly in front of him. He then slowly closes the Bible and puts it down to his left. He then takes off his earphones and turns off his music player while standing up. "What are you two doing here?"

Betty puts her hands on her hips and glares at Nero. "We're here to find out what's going on with you?"

Nero makes a confused expression while looking at Betty. He then looks at Rivka and gives her a sincere smile. "I bet you're worried about me, huh?"

Rivka nervously nods while trying to smile. "Of course."

Nero walks towards Rivka and gives her a kiss on the cheek when he reaches her. He then looks at her and smiles again. "I'm sorry for making you worried."

Rivka blushes a little while smiling. "Just don't make me worry anymore."

Betty watches on while smiling and thinks to herself. "That's much better."

Nero keeps smiling and nods. He then turns his head to look behind him and looks back at Rivka. "Hey, you two can go back down. I'll be down in a bit, alright?"

Rivka makes a confused expression for a moment, but then nods while smiling. "Ok." She then gives him a quick kiss on the lips and turns around. She then grabs onto Betty's right hand with her left and pulls her for the two of them to leave. Due to the suddenness of Rivka's action, Betty was unable to respond and just followed her best friend with no complaint.

Nero watches them leave. He then turns around and walks towards the fence and puts his forehead against it while grabbing onto the fence with both hands. He then thinks to himself while making a sad expression. "I can't blame her for being worried about me." He then sighs while closing his eyes and whispers to himself. "I probably should just make good on the time I have left with her instead of trying to avoid her. As if avoiding her will do me any good anyway." He then pauses for a moment while slowly opening his eyes and says again to himself. "Either way, tomorrow will be hell."

Nero stays on the roof for a little bit longer and then goes back to class. The rest of the school day gets better for Rivka because Nero gives her the attention that she wants and deserves. The day continues on up until night-time. Both pilots are home with Jerry and they are having fun talking to each other. Nero enjoys this while still being a bit sad about tomorrow. Rivka notices this a little and she plans to do something about it. Everyone has gone to their respective rooms for bed, but Rivka has no intention of going to sleep yet.

Rivka opens her door and walks out of her room while closing the door behind her. She then quietly walks to Nero's room and stops right in front of his door. She looks at her pajamas to see if there's anything on it out for no apparent reason and then looks at Nero's door again. She reaches for the door knob and slowly opens the door. She then walks into the room while closing the door and looks towards Nero's bed. Nero's currently on his bed while laying on his back as he's in a stretched out position while having his music player on. Rivka giggles softly due to seeing the way Nero's sleeping and then slowly walks up to his bed. She stops right next to the bed for a moment and then decides to get on the bed while crawling up on top of Nero. She sits on Nero's lower body and places the palm of her hands on his chest. She then stares at Nero's face while smiling and trying not to laugh.

Nero feels the sudden additional weight on him and feels something on his chest. He then opens up his eyes and sees that Rivka is on him. This causes him to take off his earphones while making a slightly surprised expression and says to her with a tire tone. "What are you doing?"

Rivka keeps smiling at him while closing her eyes. "I'm on top of you. What else does it look like I'm doing?" She then giggles.

Nero lets out a short laugh and smiles while shaking his head in disbelief. "Smart-ass."

Rivka keeps giggling for a bit and then moves her hands onto the bed. She then lays dow on Nero and has her face very close to his. "I know."

Nero keeps smiling and then kisses her on the lips while closing his eyes.

Rivka kisses him back while smiling and thinks to herself. "It's good to be able to do this with the one I love."

Nero wraps his arms around Rivka while still kissing her and thinks to himself as well. "At least I get to have this special moment with her before tomorrow." He then slowly opens his eyes while making a sudden sad expression as he continues to think and kiss Rivka. "Even though I'm still depressed that this will all end tomorrow."

Rivka sees Nero's sad expression and stops kissing. She then says with a concerned tone while tilting her head slightly towards the right. "Are you sure that you're alright? Something seems to have been bothering you all day."

Nero looks at her and smiles while making a sincere expression. "I told you not to worry about me."

Rivka now tilts her head to the left while smiling. "I can't help it. I love you, Nero. That means I'll always worry about you when I think something is wrong."

Nero keeps smiling while he moves his right hand and places it on her left cheek. "I know and I love you too, Rivka. But I want you to try to not worry that much."

Rivka nods while still smiling and then gives Nero another kiss. She then looks at him with a cute expression. "Can I sleep here for tonight? I know Jerry wouldn't approve but I'm to comfortable to want to get up."

Nero laughs while closing his eyes and then opens them to look at her again. "Of course you are." He gives out a short sigh while rolling his eyes. He then quickly looks back at Rivka once again with a smile. "Alright, you can sleep here with me."

Rivka gets excited and yells out. "Yes!" She then places her head on his shoulder right while looking at him. "Goodnight, Nero." She then closes her eyes.

Nero lays his head against her head while still smiling as he continues to look at her. "Goodnight, Rivka." He then closes his eyes and thinks to himself while making a sad expression. "And goodbye."

They both soon fall asleep and the night slowly while at the same time sadly ends. Soon, it will be time to initiate SEELE's plan and unfortunately for Nero, he'll have to do what he's told to do.

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

I'm finally there! *Laughs* It took me so long to finish 13 episodes, but now that I have, I can now finally write the two episodes I've been wanting to write for a long time! The sad thing is that I don't know when I'm going to start on them, but once I do, I will do everything I can to finish them. I really hope that you all had enjoyed every episode so far and now I'm going to make the biggest promise I'll ever make to all of you. I'm going to make sure you all love the next two episodes and for you all to be amazed with the action and drama that will occur.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	14. Episode 14

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

Here it is! Episode 14 has finally arrived! I'm so happy to be finally writing this episode. I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Action! Drama! Betrayal! Love! These things will all be displayed in this episode and in the final episode. I really hope that you all enjoy this, but I'm not that worried because I'm fairly confident that you will. Now, let's begin. Once again I will say for good measures, I do NOT own Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Episode 14: The Beginning Of The End As God Watches

It's now Saturday morning, and today is the day that Nero has been dreading. Nero wakes up while having Rivka sleeping next to him. He slowly sits up while trying not to disturb her and grabs his cellular. He sees that it's passed 11:00 and that he must soon leave. He gets out of the bed and gives Rivka a quick kiss on the cheek. He looks into his closet and he changes his clothes. He puts on a black, long sleeve shirt that fits his torso perfectly and black jean pants. Neither pieces of clothing have any crosses on them like he usually likes to have them. He looks at Rivka one more time before leaving his room. Before leaving the apartment, he goes to check if Jerry is in his room, but once again, he isn't there. Nero makes a sad smile and then leaves the apartment. Meanwhile at the 2nd Branch, Jerry and William are in a room that's full of computers and cables that run across the entire room.

William sits on a chair while having his laptop on his lap and typing on it. He then looks at Jerry with a concerned expression. "Are you sure about this?"

Jerry's walking back and forth from multiple computers while looking at all of the information that's being displayed. "Yes."

William leans back against his chair while still looking at Jerry. "But what's with the sudden suspicion of the Committee?"

Jerry sighs while looking down as he stops walking. He then turns around and looks at William with a serious expression. "I received Intel from one of my reliable sources that the Committee isn't what they are making themselves out to be. This was also confirmed by the Commander's findings that she showed me yesterday."

William makes a confused expression. "Really? What did you and the Commander find out?"

Jerry turns around to look at a computer and types on it. He then raises his left arm and waves for William to come.

William gets up from the chair and walks up next to Jerry while holding his laptop. He then is surprised from what he sees while yelling out. "What the hell?!" He then looks at Jerry while still being a bit surprised. "Is that-?!"

Jerry nods while still looking at the computer. "This is what the Commander found out."

William's stunned for a moment and then looks back at the computer while leaning forward to get a better look. "But they look almost identical!" He then looks back at Jerry with a concerned expression. "Are they related?!"

Jerry looks at William while still being serious. "It isn't clear yet, but it would make a lot of sense of why Nero can't tell us anything about himself."

William looks back at the computer while trying to calm down a bit. "This is incredible. Is this why you need to hack into the main intelligence of our MAGI?" He then looks at Jerry while fixing his posture to stand upright.

Jerry shakes his head. "Not really. Although the MAGI can hook up with the other MAGI's in the world, there was no help to the questions about Nero." He then looks back at the computer and starts to type. "This is the reason why I hacked into the MAGI." He stops typing and points at the computer.

William crouches down and looks at the information. His eyes then widen and he looks at Jerry with a terrified expression. "No way!"

Jerry nods while making an emotionless expression. "Yes. It seems that the entire U.S. military has left the United States."

William's stunned once again while still looking at Jerry.

Jerry looks back at the computer. "Not only that. All other cities in Nevada have been evacuated without our knowledge."

William yells out with panic. "But why?! And why didn't Carson City get evacuated as well?!"

Jerry walks away from William while crossing his arms and looking towards the floor with concern. "I don't know, but I bet anything that the Committee has something to do with it. Why else we would be the only city not to know of an evacuation?"

William stands up as he keeps looking at Jerry. "Plus, the news didn't say anything about it. We could obviously assume that us not being informed was on purpose."

Jerry nods while making a bit of a sad expression. "We're just lucky that I contacted my friend, although the evacuation of Nevada was considered to have been completed since yesterday."

William starts to panic a bit and yells out. "Is there anyway we can evacuate everyone?!"

Jerry looks at William by turning to face him and shakes his head while having a disappointed expression. "It's nearly impossible without the help of the military. Anyway, if everyone was evacuated yesterday then that means that the reason they were evacuated is going to occur today."

William walks up to Jerry while being worried. "Does the Commander know about this?!"

Jerry nods his head. "Of course. She and Norwood are trying to figure out what to do, but first we will start by having everyone in the city come into the 2nd Branch. There would be no place safer for them at this point."

William nods and then looks at the computer that shows an image of a little Nero and another child who looks almost exactly like him. He then looks back at Jerry. "What about Nero?"

Jerry turns and starts to walk towards the exit. "I'll talk to him about it when he and Rivka both get here. I'll have Dana call them over as soon as possible." He then stops right in front of the exit and looks directly at the door. "Do what you can from here and then head back to headquarters to give us your support." He then presses a button next to the door to open it and walks out of the room with the door shutting behind him.

William nods while he watches Jerry leave. He then looks at the computer that shows Nero again and he makes a serious expression. "There has to be a reasonable explanation for this, right?"

The focus then changes to a sleeping Rivka, who's still on Nero's bed. She's then woken up by the ringing of the house phone. She slowly gets up and looks around while rubbing her left eye. She realizes that Nero isn't in the room. She then gets up and walks out of the room. The living room and kitchen are completely empty, which concerns Rivka for a moment while she walks to the house phone. She picks it up and it's Dana. Rivka is told that her and Nero need to head towards the 2nd Branch, and then she quickly hangs up. Rivka puts the phone down while looking around. She then starts searching for Nero, but can't find him. This causes her to become more concerned and she then quickly goes to her room to change. She puts on jeans and wears her school polo shirt. After taking one more look around the house, she rushes out and heads towards the 2nd Branch. While she goes to the 2nd Branch, the city's emergency alarm goes off and everyone is told to head to the 2nd Branch. At the same time, SEELE is having a conversation on their plan.

Chairmen Keel has a serious expression while looking at the other members. "By now, Thomas should be arriving at the 2nd Branch with our personnel."

The 1st associate laughs in an evil way. "It seems that the 2nd Branch made the mistake of not watching over their former employee."

The 2nd associate nods in agreement. "Yes. It will obviously lead to their downfall."

The 3rd associate looks at his fellow associates. "And all we had to do was fuel Thomas' hatred for Nero and his anger towards the 2nd Branch."

The 4th associate leans forward while looking at Keel. "What about the angels?"

Chairmen Keel makes an evil smile. "They will be there on schedule. This is why we had the rest of Nevada evacuated. That way there will be no unnecessary complications."

The 3rd associate then says with a concerned tone. "What about Nero?"

Chairmen Keel continues to smile while looking at his associates. "He's being a good boy." He then laughs.

They all laugh and continue to have their conversation while in Carson City, all the civilians had been able to enter the 2nd Branch and Rivka had just arrived. Although, she's still worried about where Nero is. A few moments later, Thomas appears in front of the main entrance of the 2nd Branch. He walks up to a male guard and the guard automatically recognizes him.

The guard's holding an AK-47 and he takes a few steps forward while smiling at Thomas. "Well, look what the cat dragged in. What are you doing out here, Mr. Russell? You should be inside with everyone else."

Thomas laughs while walking up to the guard and stops a few steps away from him. "Yeah, you're right. Can I go in through here?"

The guard looks behind him and looks back at Thomas as he hesitates for a moment. "I...don't know. All civilians are supposed to enter from the side of the building."

Thomas sighs while making a slightly irritated expression. "Come on. Since I'm already here, it will be much easier to go through this entrance than go around the building to enter from the side."

The guard looks up while pausing for a moment. He then looks back at Thomas and nods with not much confidence. "Alright. I'll let you in and I'll tell another guard to escort you."

Thomas smiles while closing his eyes and putting his hands behind his back. "Great!" He then opens his eyes to look at the guard again.

The guard turns around while pulling out his access card. He then slides the card through to open one of the gates and it slowly starts to ascend upward.

Thomas keeps smiling while watching the gate almost fully open. He then pulls out a knife from his back pocket and reaches towards the guard with his left hand while holding the knife in his right. He then puts his hand over the guards mouth and slices the guard's throat. As a result, blood squirts out from the wound as Thomas lets go of the guard. The guard then falls to the ground face first and blood slowly pours out of his neck. Thomas then laughs as he turns around to face the direction he had originated from. He then whistles and suddenly, about 20 men in black suits that are a part of NERV Intelligence, come running pass Thomas and enter the 2nd Branch's facility.

A man in black then stops next to Thomas while having a smile on his face and is looking at him. "Good work."

Thomas laughs while looking back at the man. "It was nothing." He then looks towards the entrance way. "These people are such morons." He laughs again

Thomas and the man in black both head inside. Soon after that, gun fires are heard and the 2nd Branch's alarm goes off. Jerry's in HQ with Dana while Isabel and Frank are in her office. They hear the alarm go off and then all members of the 2nd Branch start to panic a bit while frantically trying to figure out what's happening.

Jerry looks upward while listening to the alarm go off. He then looks at Dana and yells. "What's going on?! Is it an angel?!"

Dana looks at him with a terrified expression. "No! We have been infiltrated!"

Jerry makes a shocked expression. "What do you mean?! That's impossible!"

Dana looks at her computer and frantically types on it while yelling out. "I don't know how, but it seems like we have been betrayed!"

Jerry walks up next to her while leaning towards her. "What?!"

Dana keeps typing without looking at Jerry at all. "I'll display it on the main screen!" She then stops typing as she looks up at the giant screen.

Jerry looks at it as well while straightening his poster. He then makes a surprised expression when he sees that members of the 2nd Branch being killed by the men in black suits.

Isabel's voice suddenly comes from the intercom and she speaks with an upset tone. "That's NERV Intelligence! So, our suspicions of the Committee was right on the money the entire time!"

Jerry's eyes widen as he quickly turns to look at Isabel, who's watching from her office. Jerry then yells out while being upset. "What's the point in this?! Why is the Committee betraying us?!"

Frank looks at Isabel with an emotionless expression while standing to her right. "Could it be that we are of no more use to them?"

Isabel lowers her head while making a sad expression. "Unfortunately, that's possibly the reason. We knew that their only interest was Eva Unit 04 and its pilot. Now they know how much power there is with those two, so it makes sense that they would want to dispose of us."

Jerry gets even more upset as he grits his teeth while pointing his head downward. He then yells out in his mind. "Then what was it that we were fighting for?!" Due to the rage he's feeling, he clenches his fists while still thinking. "Did Nero know about this?!" He then lifts up his head and turns to look at Dana. as he says with a stern tone "Where are the pilots?"

Dana turns to look at him while having a stressed out expression. "I've received word that Rivka has arrived about 10 minutes ago, but Nero wasn't with her and apparently she didn't know where he is."

Jerry takes a step back while being surprised as he thinks to himself. "No...! Was Thomas right all along...?! Damn it!" He then looks at the floor while walking to his usual spot as he faces towards the main screen and mumbles to himself. "Nero...How could you betray us? He pauses for a moment and then hears the sound of gun fire from the main screen. He then screams out while tilting his head back. "Did you do this?!"

Isabel watches on while having a concerned expression and thinks to herself. "Oh, Jerry."

Frank's currently looking at all of those who are being shot and grinds his teeth while being engulfed with rage. He then passionately yells out. "That's it!" This causes Isabel to look at him while having a surprised expression. Frank then looks at her with a serious expression. "What are you doing, Commander?! Give us an order! Or do you expect everyone to die without fighting back?!"

Isabel's stun for a moment but quickly regains her composure as she smiles while making a confident expression. "You're right!" She then turns and looks at everyone in HQ while yelling out with a commanding tone. "Listen up, everyone! These are my orders! As a result, everyone in headquarters turn to give her their full attention. Isabel then crosses her arms and says while maintaining a commanding tone. "Notify all NERV Personnel of what exactly is happening! Also, tell the guards that are watching over the civilians to try to maintain order and make sure that everyone is safe! Our number one priority is to protect the civilians! We are going to fight back!"

Dana hesitates for a moment and then says with a nervous tone. "But we'll be fighting against people. It isn't the same thing as fighting an angel."

Jerry turns to face Dana with an intense glare and yells out. "It doesn't matter!" He then points towards the giant screen with his right hand. "Look at what they are doing to the others! We won't show any compassion just because they're people!" He then places the hand he was pointing with on his chest. "They obviously aren't showing us any compassion!"

Dana makes a sad expression and then looks away from Jerry.

Jerry turns to look at Isabel again while putting his hand down. "Commander. I'm going to go find Nero. I suspect that he's here and I need to talk to him."

Isabel nods. "Alright, but what about Rivka?"

Jerry smiles. "It's obvious. Have her take the safest route to her Eva and keep her there. Eva is the safest place she can be in this situation because I can bet that the Committee probably want her dead."

Isabel smiles and nods. "Fine." She then looks towards Dana. "Lt. Mina. Notify Rivka to get ready because she's going to her Eva and have someone escort her."

Dana looks up at Isabel and nods. She then turns to her computer and starts to type on it.

Jerry keeps looking at Isabel while still smiling. "Thank you." He then starts to walk towards the exit of HQ.

Isabel watches Jerry as he's walking while having a sad expression. She then yells out with a serious tone. "Jerry!"

Jerry stops walking and looks at her with a concerned expression.

Isabel suddenly smiles while saying with a caring tone. "Come back to me."

Jerry smiles and nods. "I will." He then turns and continues to walk away.

Isabel keeps smiling while tears start to form and thinks to herself. "You better."

The scene then changes and focuses on a worried Rivka. She's in the girls' locker room and she's currently putting on her plugsuit. Many things are going through the mind of Rivka, but the most important is Nero.

Rivka finished putting on her plugsuit and sits down on the bench that's in the locker room. She then thinks to herself while looking up at the rectangular lights that are on the ceiling." Where could Nero be? I hope he's alright." She then closes her eyes while still thinking to herself. "I can't afford to lose him." She pauses for a moment while opening her eyes and glances towards the right side of the room. She then says out loud to herself. "Not after all we've been through. I can't possibly imagine my life without him anymore."

A guard then suddenly knocks on the other side of the door and says with a serious tone. "Ms. Genster? We are here to escort you to your Eva."

Rivka looks at the door and sighs while lowering her head. "I'm coming." She then stands up and walks towards the door while thinking to herself. "I'll be waiting, Nero. So, please come back to me."

Rivka heads towards her Eva while chaos continues through out the 2nd Branch. More and more people are killed by the NERV Intelligence and Thomas is enjoying every second of it. Meanwhile, Nero's in front of his Eva, but he isn't dress to pilot it. There's no one else in the cage due to the infiltration.

Nero thinks to himself while having his hands in his pockets as he's staring at both of the Evas. "If I wait here any longer then I'll most likely see Rivka." He looks towards the entrance way and keeps thinking. "What should I do? Do I really want to complicate it by seeing her?" He then turns his head and lowers it to look at the floor as he continues to think. "She won't forgive me for what I'm going to do, so what's the point in seeing her?" He pauses for a moment and looks up at his Eva again while saying out loud to himself. "I guess I just want to see her one last time. Even if it isn't a good idea, I just want to see her beautiful face again." He then chuckles. "Too bad I don't have that luxury." He's about to turn to face the door he was looking at earlier but stops. He then looks at Eva Unit 04 with a curious expression. "Now that I think about it, he Evas are supposed to have either a soul or a Dummy Plug System for the synchronization to occur. I don't know if this Eva actually has either of those things." He then stands directly to face the Eva and makes a sad expression. "Well if you do have a soul and whoever you are, thank you for helping me protect Rivka until now." He then gives a quick bow to the Eva and straightens his posture as he turns to look at the door again. He then walks towards and out the door.

At the exact moment Nero leaves the room, Rivka comes through the other door way that's located on the opposite side of the cage. She then looks around for a moment while having a disappointed expression and thinks. "Why did I even think that he would be here?" She then turns to look at the guards that are behind her and thanks them for the escort by bowing at them. She then quickly goes into her Eva's entry plug and waits patiently for her orders while thinking to herself again. "I'll just wait here because I know he'll eventually show up. After all, he did say he'll always protect me." She then smiles.

It's now 1:00 PM and almost at that exact moment, a giant explosion occurred that wiped out nearly a fourth of Carson City. It was everyone's worst nightmare come to life. It was an angel invasion. There was a total of twelve angels and they all looked alike. They literally looked like angels. They had a human-like form while they all have two wings and they are all the color white, just like the giant Rei from The End Of Evangelion. Each angel had a different number of eyes on their face that ranged from 1 to 12 and their eyes are bloody red while they have that evil-like smile that reminds you of the Eva series, but not as big. They also each have a Lance of Longinus copy, but theirs weren't red like Eva Unit 04's lance. Their lances are black instead. All twelve of them had then decided to spread out (flying, of course) and they are now surrounding the 2nd Branch. This causes a huge panic in the 2nd Branch and Isabel is doing all she can to maintain order.

Isabel's still standing from behind the glass and yells out with a commanding tone. "Calm down, everyone!" She then looks at the giant screen that is displaying the twelve angels in separate images.

Frank continues to stand to Isabel's right and watches the giant screen with a lot of focus. "This seems to be overkill, don't you think?"

Isabel bites her bottom lip while still looking at the main screen and thinks to herself while being a bit irritated. "That's a major understatement!"

Dana tries to calm herself down and then turns to look at Isabel while having a worried expression. "What are we going to do, Commander?! There are twelve angels and we never had to deal with so many of them!"

Isabel sighs while closing her eyes. She then hesitates for a moment before saying with an uncertain tone. "We'll have to send out Rivka to fight them."

Dana gasps and yells out with a concerned tone. "But there's no way she can handle all of them by herself! She'll be killed!"

Frank steps into the conversation while having an emotionless expression. "We have no choice. Rivka is the only one who can fight them."

Isabel nods while also having a sad expression. "He's right. It's the only option we have. If we don't have Rivka face them then we will all die without any effort needed by those angels."

Dana becomes sadden by what they said and tries not to cry. She then looks at her computer while slowly placing her hands on the keyboard and thinks to herself. "No...if we send her out there, it's as if we are sending her to die." She then closes her eyes and a couple of tears go down her face while yelling out in her mind. "I can't do it! I can't let her go out there!"

Rivka's image suddenly appears on the main screen as she's smiling and says with a confident tone. "I heard everything, and I'm willing to face them all."

Dana opens her eyes and looks at Rivka with a shocked expression while yelling out. "But, Rivka!"

Rivka continues to smile. "It's alright. Once I head out there, I'll do everything I can to beat as many as possible." She then looks towards the right out of the corner of her eyes. "Anyway, I know that Nero will show up soon and help me out." She then looks back at Dana while still smiling.

Dana lowers her head as she thinks to herself while having a concerned expression. "But Nero could be the reason why this is all happening."

William walks up next to her while scratching the back of his head with his left hand as he's looking at the giant screen. "If Rivka's willing to do it then we have no reason to argue or complain."

Dana turns to look at William with a surprised expression. She then says with concern. "But Dr. Florence, there's no way that she can take them all on! It's a suicide!"

William looks at her with a smile. "We just need to have faith in her like we always do." He then closes his eyes while still smiling as he puts his left hand on her shoulder.

Dana blushes for a moment and then hesitantly looks at her computer while still being a bit concerned. "Alright..."

Isabel watches on with approval as she yells out. "Good!" She then looks up at the giant screen and says with a stern tone. "Get ready, Rivka. You're going to launch as soon as possible."

Rivka nods while smiling and having a serious expression. Her image then disappears from the screen.

Isabel looks down at the floor while sighing and closing her eyes.

Frank looks at her with a serious expression. "Do you think it was wise not to tell her of our suspicion of Nero being the cause of this?"

Isabel nods her head while opening her eyes to look at the floor. "Yeah...We can't really be jumping into conclusions. Anyway, telling her that Nero is probably the cause for this would just make things worse."

Frank looks at the giant screen that now shows the twelve angels. "You have a point there."

Isabel lifts up her head to look at Dana and William. "Is everything ready?"

Both Dana and William turn around to look at her. They then nod at her with determination and turn back around to look at Dana's computer.

Isabel then looks upward while yelling into the microphone. "Ready, Rivka?!"

Rivka's voice responds with a lot of seriousness. "Yes!"

Isabel takes in a deep breath and yells out. "Launch Eva!"

Eva Unit 05 is then launch and it quickly arrives right in the middle of the twelve angels, which at the moment the Eva reached the surface, all the angels immediately glared at it while still flying around.

Rivka tightens her grip on the controls as she closes her eyes while taking a deep breath and exhaling out. She then opens her eyes and looks around herself. "Alright. It seems like they all are taking note of my existence." She then smiles. "This is going to be interesting."

Dana's hands begin to shake while she watches with a terrified expression and mumbles to herself. "Please be careful, Rivka."

William keeps standing next to her while looking at the screen with his hands in his coat pockets as he smiles. "Don't worry. I'm sure she can take a few out before Nero gets here."

Dana looks at him with a concerned expression while making sure that her microphone is off so that Rivka doesn't hear her. "But Nero could possibly be the enemy!"

William's surprised by what he had just heard and looks at her with disbelief. "What are you talking about?!"

Dana makes a sad expression while looking towards the screen. "It's possible that Nero was the one who let the NERV Intelligence in."

William makes a shocked expression while putting his right hand over his microphone to cover it so that he can't be heard by Rivka as well. "That's impossible! He would never do that!"

Dana looks down at the floor while saying with a sad tone. "It was the Major, who said that it could possibly be Nero. That's why he isn't here right now."

William continues to look at her with disbelief. He then turns to look at Isabel and yells out. "Is this possible?!"

Isabel nods with a sad expression.

William's eyes widen while uncovering his microphone by putting his hand down and thinks to himself. "Could Thomas had been right?!"

Rivka nervously yells out through the intercom while not knowing at all what they were talking about. "Hey, guys! What should I do first?!"

William instantly turns around and looks at the giant screen while feeling uneasy about the whole Nero thing.

Rivka keeps glancing at each angel while having a nervous tone. "We really didn't come up with a plan for this. So, should I just wing it?"

Isabel smiles nervously. "It seems like that's our only option."

Rivka laughs softly to herself and says with a pessimistic tone. "Great. I knew it." She then takes a deep breath while closing her eyes and exhales it out. "Well, I can't just sit here doing nothing." She then opens her eyes and makes a determined expression. "I guess I'll just choose one to attack and see how things go from there. She sighs for a moment while losing some of her determination, but then makes an irritated expression as she thinks to herself. "I'm so going to seriously hurt Nero for letting me deal with this alone in the first place!" She then smirks and continues to think. "And I'll be sure to nurse his wounds afterwards!" She then giggles to herself.

Meanwhile, Jerry is running through and killing a couple of the NERV Intelligence Men that he crosses paths with. What Jerry doesn't know is that someone is patiently following him in the shadows. During this same time, Nero is in a lower level of the 2nd Branch and he's talking to the same man in black that spoke earlier with Thomas.

Nero's leaning against the wall of a hallway as his left hand is in his pocket. He's currently looking at a blueprint that he's holding in his right hand with a calm expression.

The man in black looks at Nero with a curious expression. "What do you think? Those would be the best places for you to put the bombs at so we can get rid of all of them."

Nero keeps looking at the blueprints and then looks up at the man with an emotionless expression. "These are the locations in the 2nd Branch that SEELE chose to be targeted, right?"

The man in black nods while making a serious expression.

Nero chuckles a little. "Then why do you want my opinion? If that's where they want them then that's perfectly fine with me." He then hands the blueprints over to the man and starts to walk away.

The man in black looks at the blueprints for a moment while holding them in his left hand. He then looks at Nero while being a bit concern. "Hey!" He then points at the blueprints with the other hand. "Don't you need this!"

Nero keeps walking without looking at the man and responds. "Nope. I got the information memorized."

The man in black sighs while lowering his head and closing his eyes as he puts his hands down. "Alright."

Nero suddenly stops walking and looks down at the floor. "Hey."

The man in black looks at Nero with a confused expression. "What?"

Nero smiles while making a sincere expression as he slightly turns his head to the left to look at the man. "Have you ever been in love?"

The man in black makes a confused expression for a moment. He then suddenly starts laughing while putting his left hand over his face and says in an arrogant manner. "You know that love are for fools?!"

Nero's smile fades away while making a serious expression. He then turns his attention back forward while putting his right hand in his pocket. "It's a shame that you feel that way."

The man in black uncovers his face while making another confused expression and looks at Nero while saying with a skeptical tone. "Really?"

Nero smiles again. "Definitely." He then suddenly tosses something behind him towards the man with his right hand.

The man in black catches it with both hands and looks at it with curiosity. He's then terrified due to him seeing that he's holding a grenade and yells out. "What the hell is this?!"

Nero quickly starts running and hides behind the corner of the hallway while thinking to himself. "It's a grenade, you idiot." He then covers his head with both of his arms and faces away from the hallway.

The man in black screams and is about to drop the grenade, but it blows up before he's able to do so and it causes a big explosion that travels throughout the hallway.

Nero feels a small shockwave while a giant gust of wind with smoke passes by behind him due to the explosion. He then uncovers his head and turns to look into the hallway while the smoke is starting to clear. He then thinks to himself. "I never liked that guy." The smoke then completely clears and he sees what remains of the man's corps. He then says to himself with a calm tone. "I rather be a fool who's in love than a fool who's dead." He chuckles as he turns and walks away. As he walks, he thinks to himself while smiling. "Although I wasn't suppose to kill him, I don't think that will cause an issue." He then looks up at the ceiling while putting his hands behind his head and making a concerned expression. "The issue is what I have to do next." He then sighs while lowering his head and thinks. "Should I really do  
what SEELE says?"

As Nero continues on his way, Jerry wasn't too far away to hear the explosion that Nero had caused. Although he wasn't sure it would lead him to Nero, he went towards that direction while still being followed. While this goes on, Rivka has just made the first move in the battle between her and the angels, and this causes a lot of people to tense up while they watch this battle begin.

Rivka makes Eva Unit 05 charge towards the angel with four eyes while firing both rifles. *Side Note: I numbered the angels based on how many eyes they have* Angel # 4 then expands its wings in response while its A.T. Field deflects the bullets from the rifles. It then suddenly glides backwards due to the expansion of its wings. This causes Rivka to get a bit irritated and keeps chasing after Angel # 4 while still firing the rifles. She then ferociously yells out. "Damn it! The rifles aren't working and the bastard is getting away!" She has her Eva throw the rifles aside since they aren't helping while stopping her pursuit.

Isabel's image appears on the right side screen as her arms are crossed and she makes a serious expression. "Just try to stay calm and be watchful of those lances. They're almost exact copies of the original Lance of Longinus."

Rivka nods without looking at Isabel while having a slightly annoyed expression. "Got it, but how can I beat these guys if they can fly?!"

William's voice interrupts as he yells out with a distraught tone. "Rivka, watch out!"

Rivka's surprised by the sudden outburst and then sees a lance that was thrown by Angel # 7 coming from the left. She then gasps and quickly pulls Eva Unit 05 backwards to barely dodge the attack.

Angel # 9 then catches the lance that was thrown and quickly charges towards Unit 05 while having an evil smile.

Rivka turns to look at the angel and tries to make Unit 05 back away, but Angel # 7 jumps on the Eva's back. This causes Rivka to get really mad and yells out while looking behind her. "Get off me, you son of a bitch!" She then makes her Eva jerk around in an attempt to shake off the angel.

Angel # 7 keeps a tight hold on the Eva. It then suddenly bites the right side of the Eva's neck with a lot of force.

Rivka screams in pain as she keeps trying to shake off the angel. She's then shocked by her seeing both Angel # 9 and Angel # 4 flying towards her. She's a bit stun at first but then smiles confidently while yelling out. "I have an idea!" She then aims the cannons that are on her shoulder towards the ground and they start to charge. She then says to herself while having a bit of a worried expression. "I hope this works!" She closes her eyes and fires both cannons and it sends her flying up in the air. She then quickly shoots out another blast from the cannons towards Angel # 4 and Angel # 9 while still in mid-air.

Isabel gasps as she sees what Rivka just did and yells out with concern. "Will it hit them?!"

Angel # 9 throws one of the lances that it has at Unit 05 before it got hit with the cannons blast, which caused it to be sent flying backwards. Angel # 4 on the other hand had shielded itself with its wings, so that resulted in the damage being neutralized, but the angel had to stop flying towards the Eva and land on the ground.

Isabel yells out while making a worried expression. "Watch out for the lance!"

Rivka sees the lance coming towards where she'll land and she smiles while shouting out from joy. "I knew it!" She then lands her Eva and quickly positions her Eva, so that the lance strikes Angel # 7 in the face. This results in everyone at headquarters being amazed to see that the angel was hit by the lance instead of Unit 05.

Angel # 7 screeches at the moment the lance got it in the face and instantly lets go of Unit 05 while backing away a little bit and desperately tries to pull out the lance from its face.

Rivka sees her opportunity and turns the Eva to face the angel. The Eva then points the cannons at the chest of the angel and from point-blank distance, it fires one more blast.

Angel # 7 screeches again but this time even louder as it's consumed by the blast and it's completely obliterated.

Rivka is shook up a bit due to a huge shock-wave since she was so close to the angel when she blasted it while holding tightly onto the controls. As a result, the shockwave pushes Unit 05 back, but not too far. In the meantime, everyone in headquarters watch the explosion while all of them are amazed once again. Rivka then gasps for air for a moment while her head is lowered and the smoke is slowly clearing up. Once it clears and Rivka caught her breath, she looks up and sees that the angel has been destroy. This causes her to shout out while doing a small fist pump with her right hand. "Yeah! That's one down! I knew my plan would work!"

Isabel thinks to herself while being a bit surprised. "So that's what she was aiming for! She blasted the ground so that she gained enough distance to safely attack the angels while at the same time, predicted that one of the angels was going to throw the Lance of Longinus and she used it to make the one on her get off!" She then smiles while calming down and continues thinking. "I guess she picked something up from Nero." She then giggles a little. as everyone in headquarters start to cheer out of joy. Unfortunately, this celebration is interrupted when they hear a sudden explosion come from inside the 2nd Branch.

Isabel looks downward while being a bit surprised from the explosion and she's shook up a little by it. She then yells out towards Dana while uncrossing her arms. "What the hell was that?! Where did that explosion come from?!"

Dana turns to look at her while having a stressed out expression. "It came from the lowest level!"

Frank says with a stern tone. "But what caused it?!"

Dana makes a panicked expression while looking at Frank. "I don't know, sir!"

The scene changes and we now see Jerry confronting Nero in a pathway that splits into four different directions. While they face off, hidden behind Jerry, is the person who's been following Jerry and he's silently laughing to himself as he watches this confrontation

Jerry has an upset expression while glaring at Nero and yells out. "Nero!"

Nero has an emotionless expression on his face and says with a calm tone. "Jerry."

Jerry clenches his fists and yells out with an irritated tone. "Where have you been?! You know Rivka's fighting those angels by herself, right?! She needs you!"

Nero continues to speak calmly while looking towards the side. "I know."

Jerry gets extremely irritated and yells out. "Then why aren't you helping her?!"

Nero stays quiet while still looking towards the left side.

Jerry pulls out his gun and points it at Nero while making an upset expression. "Tell me, Nero! Are you a traitor like Thomas said you were?! Were you just here to betray us in the end?!"

Nero slowly looks at Jerry with a sad expression. "Yes..."

Jerry's completely shocked by what he had just heard while still pointing his gun at Nero. He then makes an expression of disdain and yells out. "I can't believe you! How could you do this to us?! To Rivka!"

Nero puts his hands behind his back while turning his head towards the side and looking up at the ceiling. "You don't understand."

Jerry gets even more upset while yelling out. "Tell me then! Tell me exactly what I don't understand!"

Nero glances at him while having a sad expression. "SEELE told me to do this. I have no choice, but to do as they say."

Jerry makes a concerned expression. "Who's SEELE?"

Thomas appears out of the shadows as he is the person who's been following Jerry while having an arrogant expression. He's currently standing behind Jerry while answering the question. "SEELE is the real name of the Committee."

Jerry makes a surprised expression and quickly turns his head to look at Thomas. He the yells out while being a bit upset. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Thomas smiles while saying with an arrogant tone. "I'm here to tell you the truth." He then chuckles in an evil way.

*Scene Cuts To Black*

To Be Continued...

Brief Statement:

Yes, I know. You all want to kill me for leaving it like that, but that's the way it had to be. *Laughs* Don't worry because the exciting conclusion will be here, eventually. I really don't know when I will get to it, but I can tell you that it will be amazing and awesome! The last episode will be as long as it needs to be and it will most likely reach the height of my longest episode. It might not surpass it, but I think it will come close. Or it could possibly be the longest, we'll have to wait and see. So, look forward to my last episode and hopefully you all will enjoy it.

That's it. Talk to you all later.


	15. Episode 15

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion: 2nd Branch of NERV Story

Author/Writer: Malkin Rivera

Words from the Author:

This is it! The final episode! This is where my vision comes to its final point and I can finally finish my story! I need to calm down because I'm getting too excited. *Laughs* Get ready to be shocked and amazed from how awesome this episode will be. Alright, enough of my babbling because the more I talk, the more I'll get hyped up. Please enjoy my latest and by my opinion, my greatest work. This might be the final time I have to say this, but I have to. I do NOT and unfortunately will never own Neon Genesis Evangelion, but it's still a great anime and by my own opinion, the best.

Episode 15: This is Our Hell and This is Our Heaven

The focus starts off on Unit 05 while Rivka's still confronting the remaining eleven angels. As she does this, everyone at headquarters is waiting in anticipation of what's going to happen next.

Isabel watches the main screen that displays Unit 05 on the battle field. She currently has her arms crossed while making a stressful expression and then says with a depressed tone. "Rivka was able to beat one, but now we have a problem."

Frank looks at her with a concerned expression. "What's the problem?"

Isabel says with a serious tone while narrowing her eyes. "The cannons are..."

Dana suddenly yells out from her post while looking at her computer as if saying what Isabel was about to say. "Unit 05's cannons have been severely damaged! There's no way she can use them anymore!"

Frank looks towards the giant screen to see what's displayed while having a shocked expression and yells out. "Was it because she use the cannons so close to the angel?!"

Dana turns to look at both Frank and Isabel while having a worried expression. "Yes!"

Isabel sighs while closing her eyes. "A blast from such a close distance. I'm not surprised that this was the outcome, and I would have preferred that she hadn't done that, but it was the only option.

Frank looks at her while trying to calm down. He then says with a serious tone. "Now, what?"

Isabel opens her eyes and looks up at the giant screen. "We'll have to pray that Rivka can come up with something." She pauses for a moment and then looks towards where William is sitting. "Dr. Florence. Have you found out what caused the explosion from the lower level?"

William turns to look at her and shakes his head with a disappointed expression. "No clue. It could have been NERV Intelligence."

Isabel looks back up at the giant screen while thinking to herself. "That's what I'm afraid of. That means they're planning on blowing us up." She then grits her teeth while still thinking. "Come on, Rivka! It looks like you're our only hope! If you can't beat those angels, then there won't be any hope for us!

Rivka's currently looking intensely at the angels while smiling to herself. She then says to herself. "Alright. I was able to take one down, so it got a little easier, but I can't relax just yet. Nero said that these bastards are smart and now that one of their buddies is gone; they'll be using their brain from now on."

Angel # 9 gets up off the floor since it fell down due to it being hit directly by one of Eva Unit 05's blasts earlier. It then smiles in an evil way while slowly taking a few steps towards Unit 05.

Rivka leans a bit forward while making a serious expression. "You again, huh? You seem like the straight forward type. If I could fight you guys one at the time, my chances of victory will obviously increase." She then looks up at one of her upper screens and makes an irritated expression at the screen that displays the status of her weapons. She then says to herself again "That would be my only chance since I no longer have my cannons." She then sighs while lowering her head as she closes her eyes. She then says with a calm tone. "And the N2 missiles were taken away after the last time I used them. So I'm really short on fire power."

Angel # 6 instantly spreads its wings and suddenly launches itself towards Unit 05 while pointing its lance at it.

Rivka quickly looks at the angel while having a stunned expression. She then tries to back away from it while yelling out with an upset tone. "You freaking piece of shit!" She suddenly pulls her Eva off to the left side and barely dodges the angels attack.

Angel # 6 continues on and flies towards the sky.

Rivka sighs out of relief while looking at the angel. "That was close."

Dana yells out through the intercom while having a panicked tone. "Rivka, look out above you!"

Rivka's eyes widen and then looks up with a scared expression.

Angel # 9 comes from above Unit 05 and it descends while pointing the lance downward at Unit 05.

Rivka quickly pulls on her controls and tries to make Unit 05 move towards the right in the attempt to dodge.

Angel # 9's lance pierces through Unit 05's left shoulder and completely slices the Eva's arm off while the angel is crashing into the ground due to the continuation of its momentum.

Rivka grits her teeth while still pulling the controls to make the Eva gain some distance. She then stops the Eva and breathes heavily while glaring at the angel. "You sneaky, bastard! I take back what I said about you being straight forward, you son of a bitch!" She then groans from the pain that's coming from her shoulder as she touches it lightly with her right hand. She then tries to calm down while still looking at the angel. "Now I have a bigger handicap."

William appears on Rivka's side screen while having a serious expression. "I can see that you're trying to keep your cool."

Rivka looks at William and nods. "Yeah, but it's really hard."

William smiles while making a sincere expression. "Just do what you can. Everyone is pulling for you."

Rivka makes a confident expression. She then smiles while nodding. "Alright." She then looks ahead and sees Angel # 6 flying towards her again. She the says with a determined tone. "Come and get me."

Angel # 6's points its lance towards Unit 05 while increasing its speed.

Rivka makes her Eva charge towards the angel and she passionately yells out. "Don't think I'm going to back down!"

Angel # 6 gets close enough to Unit 05 and tries to strike the Eva's head with the lance.

Rivka barely manages to make Unit 05 dodge the strike and charges right into the angel. Unit 05 then grabs onto the angel and throws it down to the ground. It then quickly pins the enemy with its full weight by rolling its tank-like body on top of Angel # 6.

Angel # 6 roars due to it being pinned down and tries to strike Unit 05 with the lance.

Rivka's eyes widen while making the Eva lean back to dodge the strike. She then makes Unit 05 grab onto the lance before the angel is able to retract it back. She then yells out of happiness. "I got it!" She then pulls the control of the right arm back with both hands to pull the lance towards her Eva. She then pushes the control forward to make the lance go towards the angel with a lot of force. This results in the lance penetrating the angel's chest, which is where its core is located.

Angel # 6's core suddenly shatters and the angel screams out from pain at the same time. It then blows up and in response, everyone in headquarters start to cheer for a moment, but once again it's interrupted, and they all suddenly gasp at what happened next. What had happened was that Angel # 9 had thrown its lance into the smoke that had formed from the explosion. As a result, Rivka suddenly screams while her Eva can't be seen due to the smoke. William then quickly gets up from his chair while having a worried expression and screams out. "Rivka!

The focus then changes to Jerry, Nero and Thomas' confrontation while still being in the same hallway that they have been since crossing paths.

Thomas is smiling arrogantly while having his arms crossed. "Long time no see, Jerry."

Jerry turns completely around to face Thomas and he makes a serious expression while pointing his gun towards the floor. "Cut the crap, Thomas. You said you're here to tell me the truth. Well, spit it out."

Thomas closes his eyes while laughing. He then opens them again and looks at Jerry with a smile. "The truth is that I was right and you guys were wrong!" He then laughs again. "Nero lied to all of us because that's what he was told to do! That's obviously the reason why he doesn't care that Rivka's being killed out there!" He laughs once again.

Nero makes an irritated expression while he looks at Thomas.

Jerry gets upset and points his gun at Thomas while yelling out. "What the hell is so funny?!"

Thomas keeps laughing for a moment. He then looks at Jerry while having an arrogant expression. "I'll tell you what's funny. It's funny how stupid you are! You couldn't see that he was deceiving you, but I was the only one telling you that he can't be trusted and now look at what happened. All of this is happening because of him!" He points at Nero while saying that last sentence.

Nero suddenly starts laughing while still standing at the same spot as his eyes are closed while pointing his head downward.

Jerry turns to look at Nero while having a shocked expression. "Why are you laughing?! Are you really that heartless?!"

Nero suddenly stops laughing. He then slowly opens his eyes while making an emotionless expression as he looks at Jerry. "I am heartless about a lot of things, but I'm not heartless about Rivka and everyone here."

Jerry makes a surprised expression while pointing his gun downward again. He then says while making a concerned expression. "If that's true then why did you do this?"

Nero looks up at Jerry. "Because I owe my life to Chairmen Keel, so I must do what he says. I can't deny him."

Thomas walks up next to Jerry while having an arrogant smile. "Chairmen Keel is the head of SEELE. He's the one who gives the orders to not only Nero, but to every NERV branch."

Jerry looks at Thomas for a moment while having a shocked expression. He then looks back at Nero while making a pleading expression. "But you do care about us, right?!

Nero looks away and sighs while making a depressed expression.

Jerry walks up towards Nero while having a determined expression and grabs him by his shirt with his left hand while pulling Nero towards him a little. "Look at me! You care about Rivka, me, and everyone else here, don't you?!"

Thomas pulls out a gun and points it at them while still smiling. "Just give it up, Jerry. He doesn't care. He's trying to trick you again."

Nero glares at Thomas while making an upset expression and he's clenching his hands into fists.

Jerry notices Nero's expression and he's surprised by this for a moment. He then glances towards Thomas and sees him pointing the gun at them. He then slowly turns and stands next to Nero while holding his gun in his right hand as the gun is pointing downward as he's making a serious expression. "What are you doing?"

Thomas laughs. "Nero isn't the only traitor, although, I was originally on your side. But Keel made me the offer to join him, and as you can tell, I obviously accepted."

Jerry grits his teeth while being enraged by Thomas' statement. He then says with an upset tone. "You son of a bitch."

Thomas laughs again and says with a joyful tone. "Thanks for the compliment. Now, enough of this crap." He then looks at Nero while being a bit serious. "Did you put the bombs where they're supposed to go?"

Nero shakes his head for a moment while making an emotionless expression. "No. Jerry stopped me before I got the chance."

Thomas makes an irritated expression. "You really are a worthless brat." He then points his gun at Nero. "SEELE will be better off with you dead. Anyway, I never liked you, so I would be more than happy to kill you."

Nero makes a serious expression while glaring at Thomas. "Keel won't like that. He needs me for his plans."

Thomas smiles in an evil way. "I'll just tell them that Jerry killed you. It's as simple as that." He laughs and pulls the trigger, which results in the gun going off.

Nero's eyes widen while making a shocked expression. He then yells out. "Jerry!"

Jerry had stepped right in front of the path of the bullet and was shot in the stomach. He then slowly points his gun at Thomas and shoots him in the neck.

Thomas drops his gun and grabs onto his neck with his right hand while gasping for air. He then stumbles forward a little before falling down to his knees as he stares at the ground in shock.

Jerry smirks and falls backwards while letting go of his gun as he's closing his eyes at the same time.

Nero catches Jerry and tries to hold him up while being overcome with a panic. "Jerry! No! Why did you do that?!"

Jerry smiles at Nero while slowly opening his eyes and says with a strained tone. "Why do you think?"

Nero lays him down on the ground and knees down next to him. "I don't know! I thought you were mad at me! I thought you hated me!"

Jerry chuckles a little. "I was indeed upset, but I could tell that you really do care about us. That's why I couldn't let you get hurt."

Nero makes a sad expression. He then sees Jerry bleeding from his stomach and quickly puts pressure on the wound with his hands while panicking a little bit. He then looks at Jerry again while trying not to cry. "I'm so sorry, Jerry. I didn't want to do this. I was actually happy here, but I felt like I didn't have a choice." Tears then start to slowly go down his face.

Jerry chuckles again for a moment. He then suddenly coughs a little bit while closing his eyes. He then says while trying to regain some composure. "You're smarter than that. You know that you always have a choice." He slowly opens his eyes again to look at Nero.

Thomas tries to laugh at what Jerry had said while now holding onto his neck with his left hand. He then tries to reach for his gun while gasping for air and saying. "What...a pathetic...display...of bullshit. Don't...make me...throw up." He's finally able to grab his gun and removes his left hand to grab a hold of it as well. This is so that he holds the gun with both hands.

Nero grits his teeth while making an enraged expression. He then gently grabs Jerry's hands and places them on top of the wound to maintain pressure on it. He then gets up and walks towards Thomas while having his head lowered. As he walks towards Thomas, he's clenching his fists while his hands are covered in blood.

Thomas slowly looks up at Nero while making a distraught expression. He then tries to desperately pull up the gun to try to shoot Nero.

Nero lifts his head up to glare at Thomas as soon as he reaches him. He then pulls his right leg back and kicks Thomas right in the throat, where the wound is located, and he does this with as much force as possible.

Thomas suddenly spits out blood and drops the gun while falling backwards while thinking to himself. "Damn it..."

Nero puts his leg down after watching Thomas fall backwards as he makes an emotionless expression. He then turns around and walks back to Jerry.

Jerry looks at Nero while smiling as he's still holding onto his wound while breathing heavily. "I couldn't have...done it any better myself. Now...just let him die...like the piece...of shit...he is."

Nero makes a distraught expression while looking at Jerry and tears start to fall again as he's still clenching his fists.

Jerry keeps smiling as he tries to talk, but continues to have some difficulty. "Don't cry...Nero. You need...to be strong. Rivka still...needs you. I'll be waiting right...here when you...two come back."

Nero keeps crying while saying. "But Jerry, you know that wound is..."

Jerry laughs while closing his eyes. "Don't worry. It takes more...than this to kill me." He then pauses for a moment as he opens his eyes to look at Nero and smiles. "Now, go."

Nero breathes in deeply while trying to stop crying. He then wipes the tears away from his face. "Ok. I'm going to make things right, Jerry." He then points at him with his right hand while having a serious expression. "So don't you go dying on me and Rivka, you got it?! We need you!"

Jerry keeps smiling and nods at Nero. In response, Nero turns away from Jerry and runs off. Jerry watches Nero leave and then looks at the ceiling while thinking to himself. "That's another promise I won't be keeping." His eyes then widen out of realization as he says to himself. "Awe, crap! I forgot to confront Nero about him and...!" He then suddenly stops himself for a moment and gives out a loud sigh while closing his eyes. He then looks towards the left side as he smiles again. "Oh well…there's no point in regretting it now…"

As Nero rushes to the aid of Rivka, we go back to where we left off. Rivka had screamed after the angel had thrown the lance at the smoke that had been caused by the destruction of the other angel.

Frank makes a shocked expression while looking towards the others. "What's going on?!"

Dana looks up at Isabel and Frank while making a distraught expression. "That lance hit the Eva!"

Isabel looks at the giant screen while being very worried.

The smoke clears and it's revealed that Eva Unit 05's back has been struck by the lance. Rivka's currently bent forward while holding onto herself tightly. She then looks up with a pissed off expression and says under her breath. "Damn it!" She quickly grabs onto the controls and tries to get the lance off her Eva's back. "Come off, you piece of shit!" She finally pulls it out and then turns her Eva to look at the angel and yells out. "So it was you!"

Angel # 9 smiles while it extends out it wings.

Rivka makes the Eva tightens its grip on the lance as she smiles. "Well, thanks. Now I have a weapon to use." She then yells out while making her Eva charge towards the angel. "Now, you're going to die!"

Angel # 9 embraces the charging Eva while still smiling.

Isabel yells out while having a panicked expression. "Rivka, no! It's a trap!"

Rivka doesn't hesitate to continue her attack and she's able to successfully make the lance pierce through the angel's stomach when her and the angel meet.

Angel # 9 holds its ground while it continues to smile. It then suddenly makes its wings wrap around Unit 05.

Rivka desperately tries to break free while being very irritated. "Damn! I should have listened about it being a trap!" Her eyes widen as she suddenly hears something. She then looks around in a panic. "What's that noise?!" She then looks towards the angel and sees that she had barely struck the angels core and the core is now glowing.

Dana gasps while covering her mouth with both hands.

William looks at her for a split second and then looks up while yelling. "Rivka, it's going to self-destruct!"

Rivka leans back while gasping as she makes a shocked expression. Angel # 9 then makes a horrific sound and suddenly blows up, which causes a giant explosion to be created.

Everyone at headquarters feel a large shockwave from the explosion. After a little time passes by, the explosion begins to dissipate.

After regaining some of her composure, Isabel yells out while having a panicked expression. "Rivka!"

Frank looks towards Dana while and says with a concerned tone. "Was her A.T. Field up?!"

Dana puts her head down while clenching her fist and she starts to cry. "No! The angel had neutralized it with its A.T. Field! I've lost all signal with Eva Unit 05!"

Isabel makes a distraught expression. She then looks towards the floor. "No. That can't be. There's no way that she could..."

William's stunned for a moment as he sits down on his chair while looking up at the ceiling. He then thinks to himself. "Jerry...I'm sorry...but I couldn't help her."

Frank has a shocked expression while still looking at the giant screen and says to himself. "I can't believe it."

Rivka's voice then suddenly comes from the intercom while sounding a bit irritated. "Come on, you guys! What happen to having faith in me?!"

Dana instantly looks up at the giant screen while having a surprised expression as she still has tears on her face. "Rivka!"

Rivka giggles while holding onto her controls as she tries to regain her composure. She then says with a confident tone. "I'm not done yet!"

William has a happy expression and yells out while getting back on his feet. "Way to go! You can do it, Rivka!"

Frank sighs out of relief while pointing his head down and putting his hand on his chest. "I'm getting too old for this."

Isabel smiles while looking at the giant screen. "Thank goodness that she's still alive."

Dana suddenly gasps and turns to look at Isabel. "The umbilical cable has been disconnected!"

Isabel looks at her with an upset expression. "What?!"

Rivka smiles while looking at the timer that is being displayed on the right screen. "Yeah. It actually happened when the lance got me on the back. That's why I didn't stop when you warned me about the  
angel's trap, although I should have."

William shakes his head. "No. You made the right choice. But now, we have to worry even more."

Rivka looks down at the floor while nodding. "I only have about four minutes left before I lose power. It would be impossible to beat them in that time frame with one arm and no real weapons to work with." She looks towards the spots where she had fought the three angels that she defeated and thinks to herself. "And those bastards' lance disappear when they die, except that one." She then looks at the lance that had been thrown at Angel # 7 earlier and it's a far distance away. "The reason for that is obvious though."

Angel # 4 walks up next to the planted lance and grabs onto it and smiles at Eva Unit 05.

Rivka sighs while looking at that angel. "Too late to regret on things that I should have done. I'll just have to keep improvising." She struggles with the controls and she makes an annoyed expression while looking at the controls. "Damn. The Eva is so damaged that I can barely move the controls." She looks up at all the remaining angels. "There's nine of them that can move without a problem and one of me with way too many problems." She closes her eyes while sighing again and then opens her eyes again. "I'll be lucky if I could take one more down before this Eva becomes completely worthless." She looks at the timer again, which is displaying three minutes and forty-seven seconds. "I'll be lucky even to last longer than the timer."

Isabel's voice comes from the intercom and she says with a sad tone. "Rivka."

Rivka looks upwards while making a curious expression. "Yeah?"

"You did great, but we're at the end of our rope. With the remaining time you have, you should try to get away." says Isabel while still having a sad tone.

Rivka makes a surprised expression while yelling out. "But, what about you guys?!"

Frank voice comes through while sounding a bit serious. "We'll do what we can to get as many people away from here as possible, but we won't be able to make it out alive with what we have planned."

Dana makes a horrified expression while turning to look at Frank. "You aren't thinking of blowing up the facility, are you?!"

Isabel looks down at the floor. "It's our only option." She then looks at everyone. "You all can leave and I'll send out the notice for everyone to evacuate in the emergency jets. The explosion will be large enough to reach the angels' current locations and might destroy a few, but Rivka needs to get away from here. There's no way the Eva would withstand the explosion in its current condition."

Frank then says with a sad tone. "A lot of people are dead now, so we should be able to get all the civilians into the jets. We didn't do this earlier because not everyone would have been able to get away and we didn't think that we were going to be infiltrated or even be attacked by these many angels."

Rivka says with a serious tone while making a determined expression. "I can't accept that."

Everyone at headquarters is stunned by Rivka's sudden statement as they look upward.

Rivka looks down while making a serious expression and yells out. "I'm suppose to protect everyone! I'm not going to run away, so that I can save myself!"

Dana yells out in a pleading way. "But Rivka! There's no way you can win at this point! The Eva's working on borrowed time! You have to run away!"

Rivka then passionately screams out. "No!" She then looks up in front of her. "I'm not going to run away!"

Angel # 4 suddenly glares at Unit 05 and then charges towards it.

Rivka braces herself for the angel's attack while making a determined expression again.

William's watching what's happening as he then receives a notice from his computer and this causes his jaw to drop due to shock. He then turns to look at Isabel and yells out. "Commander!"

Isabel looks at him with a surprised expression while saying with a firm tone. "What is it?!"

William suddenly smiles as he yells. "It's Eva Unit 04!" After saying that, everyone else in headquarters simultaneously gasp.

Angel # 4 almost reaches Unit 05 and it's about to strike it with the lance.

Nero makes his Eva launch itself from the launchpad when it ascends to the surface. He then makes Unit 04 land right on the angel and causes the angel to fall onto its back while it lets go of the lance.

Rivka smiles while looking towards Unit 04 and yells out of joy. "Nero!"

Nero lifts up his head while smiling as he's looking in front of himself. Nero's still wearing his casual clothing due to him not having the time to change into his plugsuit and says with a calm tone. "Sorry it took me so long."

Everyone at headquarters start to cheer as they see that Unit 04 has finally joined the fight.

Isabel sighs out of relief while she places her right hand on her chest as she's thinking to herself. "Thank, God." Her eyes then widen out of realization and puts her hand down while yelling out with a concern tone. "Nero! Where's Jerry?!"

Nero looks towards the left side while having a sad expression. "He's at the lower level. He helped me so I could be here."

Isabel smiles and nods to herself. "Good. He's alright then."

Nero keeps looking towards the side. He then feels some resistance from the angel that he has pin down with his Eva's left foot and he looks down at it while smiling. "I forgot about you for a moment."

Angel # 4 roars at Unit 04 while trying to reach it with both hands.

Nero makes his Eva pull back the lance that it's in its right hand and stabs the angel's core, which causes the core to shatter. He then pulls out the lance while he makes his Eva back away from the angel and turns to Rivka's Eva. "We need to get to a safe distance before the angel explodes!"

Rivka nods and quickly pulls her controls to make her Eva back away as far as possible before the explosion.

Nero makes his Eva leap backwards, right when the angel blows up and barely dodges the explosion.

William yells out of joy while the others in headquarters are cheering again. "Great! Now that Nero's here, we have a chance again!"

Dana thinks to herself while making a concerned expression and she's looking at the giant screen. "I guess Nero didn't betray us after all." She smiles and keeps thinking to herself. "I'm glad."

Rivka looks at Unit 04 while smiling and thinking to herself. "I'm so happy that he's here. He had me worried again." Her smile then quickly disappears as she sees three angels on her right side and they have their mouths wide open. She then thinks to herself. "Why does that seem familiar?" Her eyes then widen as she remembers the giant blast that the angel Phoenixel can do. She then quickly turns to look at Unit 04 while yelling out in panic. "Nero!"

Nero looks and sees the three angels. He then makes a worried expression while turning his Eva towards the direction of the three angels. "There's no way. If all three of them are going to send out a blast at once, we can't possibly survive it." He looks towards Unit 05 and yells. "Rivka! We have to run!"

Rivka nods and makes her Eva retreat towards its right.

Nero's about to move his Eva towards the left, but he's suddenly struck by a sharp pain, which causes him to grit his teeth from the pain. He then looks at his right hand and sees that it has a deep impression on it. This causes him to make a surprised expression while saying to himself. "What the hell?" He then looks at his Eva's hand which was holding his lance, but now, not only has it dropped its lance; the hand has been pierced by an angel's lance. Nero then looks up and sees the other five angels, flying in the sky above Eva Unit 04.

Rivka turns and sees that Nero has been struck by a lance and she yells out to him. "Nero! You have to get out of there!"

Nero's about to move his Eva's left arm in the attempt to grab onto the lance that's piercing the right hand so that he can remove it, but Unit 04's left hand is suddenly pierced by another lance. This causes him to torque his body back while screaming in pain.

Isabel yells out while having a worried expression. "Nero!"

Nero bends over to his left side while holding his left hand. He then feels two more sudden sharp pains and these are located at the joints of his elbows. This causes him to scream even louder as his Eva's arms are extended side by side.

Rivka has a concerned expression while she reaches out towards Nero with her right hand and yells. "Nero!" She then desperately grabs her controls while yelling out. "I'm coming!"

Nero makes a pain filled expression as he yells out. "No! Don't come here!"

Rivka suddenly stops herself while making a shocked expression.

Nero grits his teeth while extending his arms forward on his lap. "You're at a safe enough distance away! If you come here, you'll be caught in the blast! So just stay away!"

Rivka's stunned for a moment, but then snaps out of it and yells out with a distraught tone. "But that means you're going to take the blast!"

Nero laughs softly. "As long as you're safe then it doesn't matter." He then thinks to himself while smiling. "Anyway, this is what I deserve. If I'm lucky, my A.T. Field will protect me enough for me to survive." He then feels one more sudden pain, which causes him to scream out again. The pain comes from his back and it runs along his spine. This was caused from a lance completely going through the Eva's back in a vertical position and going all the way through, so the Eva's body is pinned. *This is a crucifix reference, just to let you know*

Everyone at headquarters gasp at the sight of Eva Unit 04 being pinned in such a devastating and painful way. At the same time, Rivka's completely stunned by what she's seeing.

Angels # 1, # 2 and # 12 start to gather energy in their mouth as they are pointing at the pinned Unit 04. The energy soon stops gathering and all at once, the three angels let out a huge blast that was combined together from their individual blasts and this huge blast is heading towards Unit 04.

Nero braces himself and as he does this, he thinks to himself. "This is it." He then closes his eyes while pointing his head down. "Goodbye, Rivka. I'm sorry for everything I've done."

Rivka screams out while making her Eva get in front of the blast. "Nero!"

Nero suddenly opens his eyes and looks up with horror as he sees Eva Unit 05 being slowly obliterated from the blast. He then desperately screams out. "Rivka, no!"

Rivka's consumed by so much pain that she's starting to lose consciousness and she thinks to herself while losing the light from her eyes. "Nero...I love you..." A white light then consumes her while the blast continues on to the point where there's almost nothing except the upper body of the Eva without its head. The blast then finally stops.

Nero's eyes are wide open as he sees how little remains of Eva Unit 05 and he's completely stunned.

Dana screams out from sorrow and starts to cry her eyes out. "No! Rivka, no!" She then covers her face with both hands while still crying. "Her vitals have flatline!"

William's completely in shocked while falling back on his chair.

Frank's speechless while making a shocked expression.

Isabel's tears start to form as she continues to watch and she has a sadden expression.

Nero continues to look at the almost completely destroyed Eva while still having a stunned expression. He then suddenly grabs onto his head and throws his head back while screaming in pain. At that exact moment, the experimental S2 engine that's located into the back of Nero's seat suddenly activates while making a loud humming sound.

Dana hears her computer going off and looks at it while removing her hands. She then makes a surprised expression. "Eva Unit 04 sync ratio is increasing!"

Isabel looks towards Dana while having a shocked expression. "Are you serious?!"

Dana nods while still looking at her screen. "Yes, but this isn't good!"

William makes a concerned expression while looking at her. "You don't mean...?!"

Dana looks at him with a horrified expression. "His sync ratio's exceeding normal levels! It just jumped from 95% to well over 300% and it's still climbing!"

William gets up from his chair while looking towards the giant screen and yells out. "Nero! You have to calm down! You'll lose your humanity if you keep going!"

Nero bends forward while still screaming. As he's bent forward, a giant silver cross starts to form on his back while it's shinning through his shirt. Unit 04 tilts its head back while making a groaning sound. Its armor on its arms and legs then suddenly snap off while beginning to glow silver. Unit 04's eyes then change color and now they're a glowing, dark blue color.

Dana's surprised even more when she sees something. "Eva Unit 04's S2 engine is completely active! It seems like the Eva is going through a transformation due to its activation!"

Frank yells out with a shocked expression. "How's that possible?! There should have been no way for it to activate! It was only meant to give Eva Unit 04 the ability to operate without the umbilical cable!"

William has an expression of despair as he looks at his computer while still standing. "That's not the worst of it."

Isabel yells out while being surprised at what William said. "What are you talking about?!"

William continues to have the same expression as he looks at Isabel out of the corner of his left eye. "The S2 engine...it's turning everything...into energy."

Dana looks at him with a look of despair. "What?!"

Nero keeps screaming while he leans back against his seat and has his eyes closed. As he continues to scream, everything around the Eva, including the lances that had Unit 03 pinned, start to disintegrate and turn into energy. The energy looks like small particles of light and they are heading towards the sky. The Eva then puts its arms down as its mouth opens and lets out a hideous roar.

Frank's in shock while looking towards William and yells out. "How could this be?!"

Isabel thinks to herself while having a stunned expression. "This is why the Committee wanted this Eva. It all makes sense now."

Nero keeps screaming for a little bit longer. He then suddenly stops and points his head downward while dropping his arms down onto the sides of the seat.

Dana makes a stunned expression while saying with a faint tone. "He stopped screaming...Was he able to calm down?"

William shakes his head while a having a serious expression as he looks at the main screen again. "No. The S2 engine is still active and everything is still turning into energy."

Dana looks at him while having a worried expression and yells. "Then what's going to happen?!"

William makes a sad expression as he continues to look at the giant screen. "Simple. It's the end of the world."

Nero slowly lifts up his head to face ahead while still having his eyes closed as his back still has the silver cross shinning through his shirt. He then slowly opens his eyes as it's revealed that his brown eyes are now shinning, dark blue just like his Eva. At the same time, he's smiling slightly as he lifts up his arms in front of him and looks up towards the ceiling while leaning against his seat. "Originally." He suddenly pauses for a moment and then continues to talk. "God has his heaven, and We have our Earth. All is right with the world, and there should never be a moment that we should think otherwise." He then places one hand on top of the other and places them on his chest. He then lowers his head while leaning forward again. "We belong here until we die and then we gratefully let God embrace us into his home. Until that day comes, we should live our lives as we want because it's our life to live. We shouldn't waste a single moment of it." He then separates his hands while putting his arms down on the seat. He looks up at the ceiling again while resting his back on the seat as he makes a demented smile. "Unfortunately, the boundaries have now been crossed without God's permission. And for that...the world must end…"

*Scene Cuts To Black*  
Don't worry guys. It's not over yet *Laughs*

Final Episode: Goodbye, Beautiful Boy

The focus returns to a slowly disappearing Carson City as small pieces of light, which represents energy, continue to head towards the sky. Eva Unit 04 is at the center of all of this. The Eva stands motionless as even the ground around it starts to turn into energy.

William watches as everything is being turned into energy as he thinks to himself. "This is exactly what I was worried about when Unit 04 had that experimental S2 engine installed. But I didn't even consider the possibility that Nero could activate it out of his own desire." He starts to panic a bit while thinking. "If this keeps going then it could be possible that the entire world will be turned into energy!"

Dana looks at him for a moment while having a horrified expression. She then looks towards the giant screen while she thinks to herself. "Nero...He just lost the girl he loved. Could it be that he doesn't care what happens anymore?" She then makes a sad expression.

Nero's looking at the remaining angels' positions as he still has a demented expression. He then leans forward while grabbing onto the controls.

Isabel bites her bottom lip while thinking to herself as she has a concerned expression. "What's he going to do?!"

Nero suddenly grits his teeth while changing his expression to an enraged expression. He then says slowly while glaring at all of the angels. "I'm...going...to...kill..." He then suddenly screams out. "All of you!" He then makes Unit 04 dash towards Angel # 1 with incredible speed and the Eva quickly reaches Angel # 1 while extending out its right arm towards it.

Angel # 1 tries to stop Unit 04 with its A.T. Field while bracing itself by extending its arms towards Unit 04, but to no avail. Unit 04 is able to break right through the angel's A.T. Field without any effort and grabs onto the angel's face. This causes Angel # 1 to screech in pain while trying to fight back with its lance, but it can't penetrate Unit 04's A.T. Field.

Nero smiles while having a crazed expression as he continues to make Unit 04 add pressure to the angel's face.

Angel # 1 continues to cry out in pain and then suddenly, the angel starts to deteriorate.

Frank yells out while having a concerned expression. "What's going on?!"

William makes a surprised expression. "The angel is actually turning into energy."

Dana looks at him with a horrified expression. "But how's that possible?!"

William makes a concerned expression while he looks down at the floor and he puts his hand on his chin. "It could be because Unit 04's A.T. Field has neutralized the angel's A.T Field and that makes the angel vulnerable to the S2 engines converting power."

Dana stands up from her chair while making a concerned expression. "But wouldn't that mean Nero can use it as a weapon?!"

Isabel makes a sad expression. "At this point, it wouldn't matter because if you haven't noticed, Nero doesn't have any real control of the S2 engine."

Dana turns to look at Isabel while having a surprised expression. "What?!"

William looks up at the giant screen while speaking calmly. "She's right. If he did have control, then Carson City wouldn't be disappearing as we speak. He's just taking advantage of the negative effects of the S2 engine while trying to fight the angel."

Dana looks at William for a moment. She then turns around and looks at the giant screen with a worried expression.

Nero has a demented expression while the angel has been completely turned into energy. He then leans his back against his seat once again.

Angel # 8 suddenly appears behind Unit 04 and tries to strike it with the lance. As if having eyes on the back of its head, Unit 04 suddenly jumps up into the air while dodging the lance's strike. It's now right above the angel while doing an arching back flip. It then turns its feet towards Angel # 8 and dropkick it from the back of it's head. This causes Angel # 8 to fall over and crashes its back onto the ground while dropping its lance. Unit 04 then does another back flip in mid-air and lands on its feet. It's now standing right in front of the angel that's lying on the floor.

Angel # 2 suddenly comes charging towards Unit 04 and it wildly swinging the lance at the Eva.

Nero effortlessly makes his Eva dodge each swing of the lance and then with the Eva's left hand, catches the lance on one of the swings. He then makes the Eva pull its right arm back and makes a fist. The Eva then punches right through the core of the angel and this causes the angel to suddenly explode.

Angel # 8 slowly gets back up and lunges towards the smoke that was caused by the explosion. It then suddenly screeches while being covered by the smoke, and this causes everyone at headquarters to be stunned. The smoke then slowly clears and Eva Unit 04 is revealed while holding up the angel by its neck with its left hand as the angel slowly starts to convert into energy. Also, the angel had been stabbed in the stomach with its own lance that's now in Unit 04's right hand. Angel # 8 desperately grabs onto Unit 04's left arm, in an attempt to loosen the Eva's grip as it continues to cry out in pain.

Nero keeps smiling while looking at the angel. He then suddenly makes Unit 04 tighten its grip to break the angel's neck. The moment Angel # 8's neck breaks, it lets go of Unit 04's arm and it's arms drop. Nero then makes Unit 04 throw the angel's body to the left while the lance is still stuck into the angels body. Before the angel hits the ground, it and its lance completely turn into energy.

After the downfall of Angel # 8, Angel # 12 firmly stands east from Unit 04 while leaning forward. It currently has its mouth open and energy is starting to gather in it.

Dana gasps while taking a step forward and yelling. "It's going to send out that blast again!"

William yells also while having a horrified expression. "But this time there's going to be more energy in that blast due to the S2 engine turning everything nearby into energy!"

Isabel yells with a commanding tone. "Get out of there, Nero!"

Angel # 12 stops gathering energy and it's about to fire the blast. Unit 04 then turns to face the angel and stands up straight while staring at it. It then suddenly dashes towards Angel # 12 and appears in front of it in an instants. Unit 04 then quickly places its hands on the ground that's towards its left side and does an upper, super kick right to the jaw of the angel. The kick causes Angel # 12 to shut its mouth and swallow the built-up energy. At the same time, the angel suddenly flies up into the air due to the force of the kick and then the angel blows up due to the backlash of the energy that it swallowed.

Afterwards, Nero makes his Eva stand up straight again. He then turns his head to look towards the remaining four angels, which have suddenly surrounded Unit 04. He then makes an irritated expression.

Dana yells out while having a panicked expression. "When did they surround him?!"

Frank thinks to himself while clenching his right fist. "These bastards really are smart! They figured that alone, they can't do anything against Nero! So they're going to work together now before it's too late for  
them."

Nero keeps looking at each angel while having a determined expression. The remaining angels then spread their wings and suddenly lunge at Unit 04 at the same time. When they almost come in contact with the Eva, they pull back their lances in the attempt to strike it. Nero then suddenly takes in a deep breath while pulling back his head and screams. At that exact moment, Unit 04's A.T. Field appears.

The remaining angels quickly thrust their lances at the A.T. Field in the attempt to break through, but fail horribly and they end up crashing into the A.T. Field while the lances are completely shattered.

Isabel makes a surprised expression. "Amazing! He stopped their lances with his A.T. Field; even though the Lance of Longinus is supposed to be able to penetrate anything!"

Frank thinks to himself while having a serious expression and he's watching the main screen. "Could it be that Unit 04's A.T. Field is that strong, or is it because those are meer copies that don't hold a candle  
to the original."

Nero slowly stopped screaming for a moment as he leans forward a bit. He then pulls his body back while inhaling and then screams out again. This results in Unit 04's A.T Field expanding out and pushes into the angels. The angels then start to be converted into energy while being pushed back. The A.T. Field is spread out so far that it takes up almost half of what's left of Carson City and it even collides with what's left of Unit 05 and sends it flying up towards the sky.

The remaining angels all screech as they are being turned into particles of energy while still being pushed back.

William's stunned by what he's seeing and thinks to himself. "Did he just use his A.T. Field to manipulate the S2 Engines converting power?! How's that possible?!"

The remaining angels are then all completely turned into energy.

Nero has stopped screaming again and he's now looking around while having a crazed expression as he's smiling. He then unleashes the full extent of his A.T. Field and this causes a giant hurricane to be created from the birth of Eva Unit 04's Anti-A.T. Field and it surrounds Unit 04.

Dana continues to make a panicked expression while talking frantically. "What the hell is this?! Everything is still turning into energy!" She then turns to look at Isabel. "What are we going to do?!"

Isabel looks at her with a hopeless expression while putting her arms down. "There's nothing we can do."

As energy particles ascend to the sky, Unit 04 starts to levitate and ascends towards the sky as well. Nero then slowly gets up and stands on top of his seat while his eyes have changed back to being brown. He then looks towards the ceiling while he starts to slowly lose the light in his eyes. At the same time, the silver cross on Nero's back has stopped shinning. He then mumbles to himself while the hurricane seems to become larger and larger. "This is the end. I've already got my revenge. All I can do now is die."

The majority of the people at headquarters are all in a bit of a panic as they see Carson City slowly disappearing. They are then startled by the 2nd Branch's alarm suddenly going off and many of start to panic even more.

Dana keeps panicking as she looks at William. "What's going on, now?!"

William looks at his computer while still standing and plainly says with no real emotion. "The 2nd Branch is turning into energy."

Dana: gasps while covering her mouth and tears start to form.

Frank puts his head against the glass while having an expression of despair. "Is there anyway to stop this?"

Isabel continues to have a hopeless expression while tears start to fall down from her face. "Unfortunately, no."

Dana keeps on crying while covering her face with her hands. "This isn't fair! There's so much I haven't done yet with my life!"

William laughs while closing his eyes and pointing his head upward.

Dana uncovers her face to look at William while making a shocked expression. She then becomes upset and yells. "Why are you laughing?!"

William opens his eyes and looks at her for a moment while smiling. He then turns and walks up to her.

Dana makes a confused expression while still looking at him.

William leans forwards and closes his eyes as he kisses her on the lips.

Dana blushes while being surprised at William's sudden action.

William stops kissing her while opening his eyes as he straightens his posture. He then smiles at her again. "That's something that I've always wanted to do and I thought I would have had more time before deciding to tell you how I feel."

Dana keeps blushing while making a surprised expression. "You mean, you have feelings for me?!"

William nods while still smiling and he extends out his arms. "I'm sorry that I didn't say this sooner."

Dana smiles and rushes into his embrace while digging her head into his chest and she starts to cry again. "It's fine! As long as I know now, then it doesn't matter how long it took!"

William keeps on smiling while holding her and placing his chin on her head. "Yeah. It doesn't matter." William and Dana both then start to slowly turn into energy and soon they completely disappear.

Frank makes a surprised expression as he just saw them disappear. He then notices that multiple people in HQ are disappearing. "So, it has already started over here. Then there's no point in trying to get away."

Isabel looks at him with a bit of a concern expression, but then makes a sad expression while thinking to herself. "That means, I won't get to see Jerry."

Scene changes and we see Jerry still laying on the floor of the hallway while everything around him, including Thomas' dead body is being turned into energy.

Jerry slowly sits up and leans his back against the wall while having his head pointing down and he's holding his wound with his right hand. He then looks up in front of him and talks to himself. "This is so pathetic. I couldn't keep my promises." He sighs while closing his eyes. "I guess I failed as a man and as an adult."

Rivka's voice suddenly comes out of nowhere and says with a sincere tone. "You didn't fail."

Jerry slowly opens his eyes and sees an image of Rivka in front of him, and she's wearing her plugsuit and the image of her is partially see-through. He then makes a bit of a surprised expression. "Rivka?! There's no way that you're here!"

Rivka nods while having a sad smile and she puts her hands behind her back while leaning a bit forward. "Sadly, you're right. I'm actually gone, Jerry."

Jerry makes a sad expression and starts to cry. "I'm sorry that I was such a terrible guardian." He then closes his eyes while still crying and pointing his head downward.

Nero's voice suddenly comes out of nowhere as well. "Don't cry, Jerry. You didn't do anything wrong."

Jerry suddenly opens his eyes and looks up while making a shocked expression. "Nero?!"

Nero appears right next to Rivka while wearing his normal clothes and he's smiling as well while having his hands in his pockets.

Jerry talks while his voice is cracking up a bit. "Please don't tell me you're gone too."

Nero closes his eyes and shakes his head. "Not yet." He then opens his eyes and looks at Jerry again. "But I'm getting close to leaving."

Jerry stays quiet while looking at both children as he's trying to hold back his tears.

Nero keeps smiling. "Jerry. You were great to us. You're the father that we both desperately needed. So, you don't need to apologize. You did your best and we're happy to have had you in our lives."

Rivka nods while still smiling. "He's right. We love you, Jerry."

Jerry smiles and closes his eyes while he starts to turn into energy. "Thank you. I love you both as well."

Both images of Rivka and Nero disappear at the exact moment that Jerry is completely turned into energy. We then return to Isabel's office and we see that Frank has already started to turn into energy.

Frank's looking at his hands as they disappear and then looks at Isabel with a sad expression.

Isabel looks back at him with a horrified expression as she sees him slowly disappear.

Frank gives her a sad smile and turns to face her. He then salutes to her with his right hand and says with a firm tone. "It was a pleasure working with you, Commander."

Isabel's stun for a moment, but then smiles and salutes back at him with her right hand. "Likewise, Sub-Commander."

Frank then disappears while still doing the salute.

Isabel puts her hand down while losing her smile. She then turns to face the giant glass and she places her forehead against it while putting her hands on the glass. "I never thought that it would end like this." She then closes her eyes as tears fall down from her face. "I didn't even consider that it would end with me being alone." Suddenly, a see-through right hand appears on top of her left hand and when she sees it, she's startled and then sees an image of Jerry right next to her.

Jerry smiles at her. "Why would you consider that? You know I wouldn't let you be alone in the end." He then chuckles.

Isabel makes a stunned expression, but then it's replaced with a smile. "I know." She then turns to face him. "You kept your promise."

Jerry keeps smiling while making his face get extremely close to her face. "Did you ever doubt me for a moment?"

Isabel shakes her head while closing her eyes and smiling. "No." She then opens her eyes and looks at him. "But I was worried."

Jerry gives her a quick kiss and makes a caring expression. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

Isabel blushes slightly as she starts to turn into energy. "Will you be with me forever?"

Jerry nods at her with confidence. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

The scene ends with Isabel being the last person in the 2nd Branch disappearing and the facility itself then disappears. Now the main focus is on Nero, who's Eva is still levitating higher and higher as the hurricane that surrounds Unit 04 is combining itself with the energy that's ascending.

Nero's getting closer and closer to losing his consciousness. "It will be over soon. I just need to let go."

Rivka voice yells out. "Nero!"

Nero's eyes suddenly regain their light and he looks around while having a surprised expression. "Rivka?!"

Rivka says with a pleading tone. "You can't give up, Nero! You have to live!"

Nero makes a sad expression while trying not to cry and he's looking in front of himself. "But I can't! I don't want to live without you!"

Rivka says in a reassuring tone. "You have to. You need to live so that you can be happy."

Nero's eyes widen as he hears what Rivka had just said and says to himself. "To be happy?" He then remembers for a moment what the boy from his dream said while making an expression of realization.

Rivka then says with a loving tone. "I know you'll be able to do it. You'll be able to be happy. You just have to keep on living."

Nero starts to cry while making a sad expression and then covers his face with both hands as he lowers his head. "Oh, Rivka...! I'm...I'm...!"

"You don't need to apologize as long as you choose to live." Rivka says and then pauses for a moment. She then passionately yells out with a caring tone. "I love you, Nero!"

Nero uncovers his face while looking and puts his hands down while smiling as he yells out. "I love you too, Rivka!" Suddenly, Unit 04 starts to turn into energy, which is due to the S2 engine starting to go completely out of control and overheating. The front part of the entry plug then disappears right before Nero's eyes, which causes him to see outside of his Eva. He then sees, at a bit of a distance away in front of his Eva, that Rivka's body is slowly descending in the air while being surrounded by the remaining parts of Unit 05, which are being turned into energy as they also descend. Amazingly, Rivka's still in one piece, although having severe injuries on her body, which caused her death. Nero then yells out with a look of desperation. "Rivka!" He then runs and jumps out of the entry plug right before Unit 04 completely disappears and the S2 engine suddenly explodes in the shape of a giant cross, which sends Nero right towards Rivka. At the exact same time, the hurricane suddenly dissipates due to the explosion. As he gets closer to Rivka, he tries to reach for her while both him and her are descending to the ground as he keeps on yelling out. "I'm coming, Rivka!" He slowly closes the gap between them as they continue to fall while he's desperately trying to grab her arm when he's almost in contact with her. "Come on, damn it! Reach!" He's about to completely lose reach of her, but makes a final lunge and he's able to catch her right hand. He then pulls her into his embrace and thinks to himself while making an emotionless expression. "I'll do it, Rivka. I'll keep on living in the hope of being happy." He then closes his eyes and suddenly a mysterious A.T. Field appears around them. The A.T. Field drastically slows down their descent to the earth and once they reach the ground, the A.T. Field disappears. Nero's now standing while holding Rivka's lifeless body in his arms and he's looking towards the sky while having a spaced out expression.

The scene suddenly ends and a few days pass. There are a few helicopters that have just arrived where Carson City once stood and they see that there's nothing left of the city or even the 2nd Branch. *Side Note: The entire state of Nevada was affected by the converting power of the S2 Engine. The extensive power of the S2 Engine had done this before it blew up. The state itself now looks like a giant wasteland with no remains of any of the cities that once made up Nevada*

A man that's in the helicopter says with an amazed tone while looking at what used to be Carson City. "I can't believe that there's nothing left!" *Side Note: The man is wearing a black uniform that's fashioned to look like military clothing. He's currently being accompanied by another man that's wearing the same uniform while both are in the back of the helicopter.

The other man says with an arrogant tone while also looking at the same thing. "There's no way that anyone is still alive. We should just leave."

The helicopter's pilot is looking down at the ground as well and then makes a surprised expression while yelling out. "Hey! There's someone down there!"

The other man looks at where the pilot is looking at and makes a surprised expression as well. "There's no way that's possible!"

Nero's currently standing in front of a tombstone that has flowers in front of it and the tombstone has Rivka's name engraved into it. Nero then looks up at the helicopters that are above him with an emotionless expression and puts his hands in his pockets. He then looks down at the tombstone and smiles. "Looks like I'm leaving, Rivka. I'll be back to visit." He then turns around and sees that one of the helicopters is descending. He then turns his head towards the left to look at the tombstone again while still smiling. "Don't worry. I'll keep my promise." He then turns his head to look forward and walks towards the helicopter and says with a confident tone." No matter how long it takes me, I'll keep my promise."

The scene changes once again and now, Nero's talking to the twelve members of SEELE that surround him in a circle while being in the form of the sound only, black Monoliths.

SEELE # 1 *Chairmen Keel* says with a calm tone. "It's good to see that you survived."

Nero laughs while putting his hands behind his head. "Yeah. I got really lucky."

SEELE # 4 says with a serious tone while being towards the right of Nero. "We were told that there weren't any other survivors. Is this true?"

Nero nods without looking at SEELE # 4's monolith as he's making an emotionless expression. "It's true. Everyone else is dead."

SEELE # 7 says with a concerned tone while being behind Nero. "Even our men that we sent?!"

Nero nods again while maintaining an emotionless expression.

Keel sighs for a moment and then says. "Very well then. You may go and do what you like until we need you again."

Nero turns around and starts to walk away. Keel then says with a stern tone. "By the way, make sure that no one knows of your involvement with the 2nd Branch and what really happened. We'll give out false information about what happened to the other Branches, so that they don't know what really happened. We need to be careful because there are some untrustworthy people in NERV that we can't turn our backs to."

Nero suddenly stops in front of the exit and smiles while looking down at the floor. He then mumbles to himself. "You can say that again." He keeps smiling as he looks up and walks out of the room.

SEELE # 10 says with a concerned tone towards Keel. "Are you sure it's a good idea to let him do what he wants? I say we should keep him under close observation."

Keel says with a serious tone in response. "There's no need for that. He's going to be keeping a low profile when he returns to America. He'll also be traveling for a while and there's no one in connection with NERV that knows who he really is anyway. The only issue would be if he were to return to Japan and saw his father or brother. That would put our back-up plan in jeopardy. We need to keep him as our ace in the hole in the case that Instrumentality was to fail."

SEELE # 2 says with a serious tone. "I still don't trust him though. He's too smart for his own good, and he's his father's son."

SEELE # 3 says with a serious tone as well. "He's right. We all know better than to trust an Ikari."

"You have a point. I'll be sure to keep him under check. Like you said, he's an Ikari." says Keel before his Monolith disappears. The other Monoliths then follow suit.

Nero's leaning his back against the door that leads into SEELE's room while having his eyes closed as he was listening in on the conversation that SEELE continued to have after he left. He then smiles while slowly opening his eyes as he starts to walk down the hallway while talking to himself in a low volume. "They may have a point." He then looks at the ceiling while still walking as he continues to have his hands behind his head and he's making a spaced out expression. "I'm an Ikari. It's as plain and as simple as that." He then smiles again. "I wonder if I should visit father and Shinji. After all, they are my father and twin brother." He continues to walk down the hallway while still smiling.

*Scene Cuts To Black*

The End

Brief Statement:

This is going to be short and sweet. I hope you all liked my story/series. I'm going to make another story of Evangelion, but it would be like a second season of Neon Genesis Evangelion, not an alternate occurrence. This was my longest episode as you can all tell and I'm so happy that it is. I really hope that all of my episodes met your expectations or even surpass them, and that hopefully we will all meet again soon.

That's it. Goodbye.


End file.
